Somewhere I Belong
by Natersby
Summary: After waking up in Balamb Garden with no clue how he got there, Seifer escapes and embarks on a new life as an independent mercenary. He wants to forget the past, but will it let him go so easily? New chapter; The Royal Crown.
1. Let Go

**DISCLAIMER** I don't own Final Fantasy 8, or it's characters. Sad, isn't it.

**A/N **Prologue added- chapter 1 still the same. This acts as kind of a starting point, covering what happened after Fujin and Raijin broke up the posse. Includes an unexpected meeting and plenty of mystery and humour. The main story is focused on Seifer; part one takes you up to the ending, but this story spans beyond that. Even if you don't like Fujin and Raijin I've tried to make the prologue interesting, so give it a shot! You will be well rewarded in chapter 1!

**Prologue**

**Let Go**

Fujin gazed at the window, her image reflected back to her by the room's light against the star field beyond. She sat rigidly, a contradiction to the soft red chair she occupied. Her silver hair obscured a harsh black eye patch, as her other eye glittered along with the vague outline of stars. Raijin was reflected from his adjacent seat, his head thrown back on the headrest and legs spread across the walkway. His snores were audible even over the purr of the Ragnorak's engine.

_IDIOT,_ she thought. She couldn't wind down, despite her exhaustion. A months worth of tension seemed presently compacted within her. As she continued to stare, the large scarlet window frame became like a TV screen playing the calamitous day back to her.

* * *

Fujin and Raijin loitered indecisively on the entryway stairs of the Lunatic Pandora. Seifer had always made their decisions for them, even in his absence, for they would follow him anywhere. But now that they had chosen to cut their ties with him, they were like driftwood with not even a tide to guide them down the river. Raijin sat on the stairs and jostled his pole on his shoulder, whilst Fujin stood nearby in the vast entryway opposite the three elevators. She leaned against the wall, arms crossed. 

"So… what now, y' know?"

_THINK!_ She ordered herself. They weren't in a good situation. They didn't have a way of escaping the Lunatic Pandora, hovering over the Esthar region as it was. Barring the arrival of a Ruby Dragon that consented to give them a ride before incinerating them, they were stuck in there, at least until it landed or got closer to the ground.

"If we could find some rope or a ladder or something, we could climb down, y' know." Raijin suggested, not for the first time. "It's a long drop, but if it lowers a bit… Anyway, those soldiers must have a way of getting in and out of here, y' know. Maybe they have some of those mobile units like they used in the battle against Balamb Garden? They must be stashed here somewhere… I guess we don't have much chance of finding them, this place is like a maze, y' know? Seifer would know… "

"RAGE!" She kicked a piece of debris viciously enough to send it cart wheeling across the vast lobby, skittering to a stop next to the central elevator door. Raijin, apparently realizing he broached an off topic, or just glad she hadn't kicked him instead, shut up.

"SEIFER…" she said and looked back at elevator A as though she could see what lie beyond it.

Truth was, escape and transport were far from Fujin's main concern. Unlike Raijin, she knew there was at least one way out- the parked Ragnorak; it's open hatch begging for stowaways. The reason she hesitated to tell Raijin her plan was that, despite leaving him, she was worried about Seifer. Her mind was a whirlpool of doubts about her decision. It had cost her and Raijin to stand by Seifer up untill now, but it cost them equally to leave him, perhaps even more so. Ever since the sorceress had come into the picture they had felt torn between their loyalty to Seifer and their aversion to what he was doing; what she was making him do.

"DAMMIT."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Raijin hovering from one foot to the other, looking at a loss as to what to say. She'd far exceeded her personal word count for the day. She didn't have another speech in her to explain what she wanted to do. But one word was usually enough, at least for him, and for Seifer, to understand her. Surely he understood now?

She stood by her feeling that Squall was the only one capable of getting through to Seifer, even as it saddened her that his words may work where Raijin and hers had failed. But Squall had known him even before they had, there were bonds there she didn't fully understand. But what if her trust in Squall was misplaced? What if, rather than pulling him back, Squall tipped Seifer completely over the edge? He may be the only one that could bring him back, but he was also the only one that could push across the line of no return, as well.

_Better off dead than used, _she thought harshly.

"Do you think Seifer's ok in there?" Raijin asked.

"DEFINE." She said in a distinctly threatening tone.

He waved his hands in the air. "Whoa! Hang on! I don't mean that they could hurt him! You know Seifer- he's unstoppable. But it's just, y' know…"

Finally she nodded curtly, knowing that his thoughts matched hers. His being "unstoppable" was exactly the problem right now. Which was ironic, really, as it was usually his most admirable personality trait.

Raijin stood and stretched his muscular arms over his head. "No harm seeing what's going on. I mean it's been hours! No point hangin' round here, y' know…"

Fujin pulled her silver pocket watch from the inside of her jacket, a casual gift from Seifer during her phase of always being late. It had actually been less than one hour. _MORON,_ she thought, but it _had_ felt longer.

They walked to elevator A and rode up, exiting into the weird corridor that could only be described as alien. The walls were a mesh of turquoise shades, varying between green and blue. It looked somehow liquid, like ice, though to the touch was evidently stone. Their steps echoed as they proceeded through the long tunnel, and along a less claustrophobic metal corridor, until they reached the place where they had last seen Seifer.

"DESERTED." Fujin's heart sank, though she wasn't sure what else she'd expected. "CLUES. SEARCH." She added, hoping something may hint at what transpired there.

She stepped forward several paces, then knelt on the cold floor. There was a splash across it, rusty brown around the edge but still wet and red in the centre. So it had come down to a fight. Of course it had.

Fujin suddenly felt foolish. They had left Seifer to face off against five SeeDs and a new Sorceress alone. All of who must think him the worlds greatest traitor. And in a way, he was, but her reasoning would differ dramatically from theirs. He was a traitor to their posse, to their beliefs.

"_You're being manipulated, Seifer. You've lost yourself and your dream. You're just eating out of someone's hand."_

She wanted the old Seifer back- she didn't want him dead! When facing the possible reality of it, her earlier thought that she would prefer him to be dead than used seemed childish.

She shook her head at her own doubts. The Seifer she knew was as resilient as a cockroach. But knocking some sense into him and knocking him out were two different things.

Raijin, having found nothing on the podium, looked over Fujin's shoulder. "That's a lot of blood, y' know, Seifer must've given one of them a nasty wound…say, there's another spot over there." Raijin pointed towards the corridor they had entered from. There was a trail of red marks, so vague as to be unnoticeable unless looking for them.

As they entered the corridor, they heard a clanging noise to their left. Fujin drew her missile blade from her back and held it ready beside her whilst Raijin grasped his fighting pole. They nodded to each other, and rushed forward to examine the strange construction.

She barely had time to wonder if it might be Seifer or Squall, when a guy with a loose dark brown ponytail in beige trousers and a pale turquoise shirt came into view, climbing down a ladder. She looked up to see the girl with the impractical green shawl draped over her elbows following closely behind him.

As the guy stepped off the last rung, he called up, "come on Elle! Not much further!"

Ellone, still on the platform above, said "behind you."

The guy turned around and visibly started to see them standing there. "Hey, who are you guys? I- it's rude to sneak up on people like that!"

"SEIFER?" Fujin said.

"Isn't that a guys name?" he asked, frowning with his hand to his chin, seemingly oblivious to the fact that there were too rogues in front of him with weapons whilst he stood there unarmed. He was about as threatening as a bite bug, yet past signs of age there was a certain handsomeness to his features. Fujin lowered her weapon and Raijin followed suit.

"We're looking for a guy, y' know? Scar across his forehead, blonde-"

The guy startled slightly at the mention of the scar.

Ellone, who had finally caught up, answered. "Seifer's not here. We don't have time for this right now. This place is unbalanced- we have to get out of here!"

The guy declared, "I don't know who you guys are, or why you're looking for Squall, but we have to get out of here!" As though it had all been his idea.

Fujin looked up and saw where the dangers lie. The levels above looked like they would if viewed through steam, the floor bumping and bubbling. Only, there was no steam.

_TIME COMPRESSION?_

"Hurry!" Ellone called as she ran past. Fujin nodded to Raijin, and they followed.

They ran full out, back to the elevator floor and through translucent yellow tunnels until they reached the entrance the Ragnorak had forged into the Lunatic Pandora mere hours ago.

"Phew! I think we're safe now!" the guy said, hands on knees. "It's been a while since I had to run like that. It was when Kiros and Ward accidentally cracked open a gas cylinder with a bullet… I mean, a harpoon!"

"Really, Uncle Laguna?"

"Would I ever lie to you?" He said warmly, and ruffled Ellone's hair. Fujin scowled. The girl was older than she was, and he was treating her like a child. She would kick him in the shin, or worse, but the girl just laughed.

_PATHETIC._

Raijin, she noticed, was doubled over almost as much as Laguna was. "WIMP!" She accused before kicking him in the shin.

"OWWW… hey, that was totally unnecessary, y' know!" Raijin hopped on one foot, face creased with pain.

She put her hand to her forehead. _IDIOTS. SURROUNDED._

At Raijin's agonised howl, Laguna seemed to remember that they weren't alone, and looked up at them, hand still in Ellone's short brown hair. "Hey!" suddenly and somewhat viciously, he stood straight and faced them. "Are you the ones who kidnapped Ellone?"

"There's no time for that now," Ellone interjected. "I'd feel better if we got further away. I'm not sure how safe we are while we're still here. We should go!" She ran aboard the spaceship.

Laguna hesitated. "Alright. You guys can come with us for now." He ran in after her.

"Do you think we should go? I mean we did take his niece hostage. He'll turn us in, for sure. I don't fancy going to the D-District prison, pretty nasty there, y' know?"

Fujin scowled, wishing they had stowed away after all. But, those two obviously knew more about Seifer's fate. They could find out what happened, and break free if they had to.

"NO CHOICE."

They approached the dragon-like spaceship and their steps clanged on the entry stairs. Once inside, Ellone pushed a button to close the hatch. The idling ship rocked to life, and all three of them lost their footing. Ellone motioned for them to follow, and they walked through a dull grey aisle to a small lift. Raijin looked around like he was in wonderland, muttering things like "so cool." They took the elevator up to the pilot room as the ship lurched again.

Laguna sat at the front in the left hand seat, then stood, rubbed his head and changed to the right hand seat. Fujin and Raijin shared a sceptical glance as Ellone teased "they might have been safer left behind with you piloting, Uncle Laguna"

"Do you really know how to fly this thing?" Raijin enquired doubtfully.

"Yeah, of course! I read the manual and everything!" Laguna said. "Ok, first we'll get outta here, then decide where we're headed!"

"Esthar is the closest town. Shouldn't you be heading back?" Ellone asked.

"Well… I don't have any pressing presidential duties right now…"

Raijin exclaimed, "You're the president!?" He waved a hand in front of his nose, as though smelling something he didn't like. "Whoa… wait a minute, y' know… doesn't that mean you're gonna hand us over for questioning about…"

"RAGE!" Fujin kicked him in the shin, and as he began hopping, holding his leg, she regarded the president coolly, hoping Raijin hadn't given him any ideas.

"Oh yeah," Laguna pressed a few buttons. "That should do for now," he muttered before standing and facing them. "So, what's the deal with you guys? Are you the ones who kidnapped Ellone?"

Ignoring him and suppressing the impulse to kick Raijin again, Fujin regarded the girl coolly. She wasn't offering a public apology for his sake- that was transmitted by the act of releasing her. When Ellone had looked back at her at the time, Fujin knew she got that. She never understood why people felt the need to speak so much; they usually just ended up tying their tongue into knots.

Raijin looked at the ground. "Umm… yeah. We're sorry, y' know? We shouldn't have let things get this far. We're just… we're with Seifer…y' know? We were doin' what he wanted, but now…"

_True,_ she decided, and nodded curtly.

Ellone waved it off as though all they'd done was step on her flower patch. "Uncle Laguna, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Laguna nodded. "Alright. You guys wait in the passenger room. It's down on your right." From his tone, he wasn't done with them. When it came to Ellone, his idiotic anecdotes disappeared and were replaced by a much more stern and commanding man. It reminded Fujin a little of Squall.

"Alright, y' know, but we wanted to ask where…" Fujin raised her foot threateningly, and Raijin headed to the lift. "Alright, alright, we're going! Geez…"

As they entered the passenger room, Raijin collapsed into one of the chairs. "What do you think their gonna do to us? Should we really have left them like that? I mean, we've got weapons, and they don't. Maybe they've got some stashed away, or they're calling in reinforcements… the president! Was he for real, y' know?"

"AFFIRMATIVE." Taking the Galbadian president hostage hadn't exactly improved Seifer's life. She doubted threatening the Esthar president would do them any good, either. As for weapons, she could hardly picture the demure girl levelling a machine gun at them.

Laguna and Ellone soon joined them. "Ellone explained what happened," Laguna said, crossing his arms and nodding deeply as if he understood everything that had occurred. Then he shrugged. "Well, you did let her go. What's done is undone."

Ellone smiled at him, before meeting Fujin's scowl with a smile. "That's his way of saying it's alright."

Laguna nodded deeply again. "Actions shout louder than words!"

Fujin wondered if the guy suffered any severe mental health problems, and who would vote such an incompetent buffoon as president.

Raijin let out a relieved sigh, but then his gaze flitted between Ellone and Laguna. "Say, if you're both here…"

"PILOT?"

Laguna rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I left it on autopilot, it should be all…" the ship shuddered. "Uhh, I'll go check it's alright."

He walked back out and then turned in the entryway. "Elle? You coming!"

"I'm going to stay in here for a while. I could use the rest, it's been a long day," whilst Raijin muttered to Fujin, "I think the ship would fly better unmanned than by him, y' know,"

They looked up as Laguna addressed them. "We have some downtime right now. We can take you guys wherever you're headed, within reason. But, like, no trips to Galbadia, ok?"

The moment he left, Fujin turned to Ellone "SEIFER?"

Ellone met her piercing gaze unflinchingly, a feat not even Raijin could always pull off. The girl smiled sadly, and Fujin put her hand to her heart in shock. There was more to her gaze than understanding over the kidnapping; she saw her own concern for a loved one reflected sympathetically in the girl's guileless blue eyes. But it was probably to do with Squall and her other orphanage siblings, excluding Seifer. It had hardly been his choice to release her, after all.

"I'm sorry. All I know is that, after you guys left, he fought Squall and lost. He kidnapped Rinoa, gave her to Adel and he was just gone."

Raijin waved his hand in front of his face. "That's… so not Seifer, y' know? He'd wanna see how things played out, y' know? Through to the end."

"None of this is like the Seifer I grew up with. He's not the boy whose scraped knee I cleaned anymore. He's willing to tear the world apart to get what he wants."

"WRONG!" Fujin slashed her arm through the air. "WHERE?"

"I don't know. I'm sorry. I've exhausted my power for a while. I don't know when I'll be able to use it again. Seifer…" Ellone paused, then gestured helplessly. "I don't know if he can change back to who he was. I understand that you want to help him, but there's nothing more any of us can do for him. I wish there was. You should think about yourselves now, think about what _you_ want. I'm so sorry."

The sympathy in the girl's eyes and voice was beginning to grate on her.

"RAGE!" Fujin snapped, and stalked out of the room.

"Sorry, y' know… you're tired, right, you should sleep," Raijin said before following her. "What's wrong? I think she told us everything y' know. And…"

"BITCH SORCERESS."

Raijin started. "You think he went back to her again?" He paused. "Yeah… that kinda makes sense. If he left before the battle was over, he would've gone to tell her what he'd done. He must've had a connection with her no one knew about, some way of talkin' to her, bein' her knight and all… right?"

"KNIGHT?" Fujin almost laughed. "DOG."

"Seifer always hated dogs. It's weird, y' know. Him bein' so subservient." Raijin put his hands on his hips. "So, where do we go from here, y' know?"

Fujin crossed her arms. She felt more lost than she had whilst stranded on the Lunatic Pandora. Truth was there was no place left for her and Raijin. They had no home and no leader. No one to rely on except...

"GARDEN."

"Huh? Oh, I get it. You want to speak to Squall and find out what happened. Yeah, he would know if anyone does. I bet that's where he'll head after he whoops the BI- I mean, the sorceress' ass, y' know!" Raijin looked away, and seemed to be holding his leg off the ground slightly, as though ready to launch it out of the line of attack. "But… y' know… Seifer went through with his plan. Which means Squall didn't get through to him, after all. Seifer's lost himself. This is hard to say, kinda painful, y' know… but, y' know…" He stopped and swallowed. "I think Ellone's right. Maybe it's time that we let Seifer go, let him follow his own path, y' know? He's made his decision. He chose the sorceress over us, y' know? So… we need to find something new. I think… we need to forget about Seifer."

Fujin moved slightly, and Raijin jumped away from her, but all she did was raise a hand to her heart. "SHOCK!" She fiddled with her eye patch. She couldn't forget about Seifer, not ever. But she couldn't find a reason to repute Raijin's argument, either. In fact, it was her thoughts exactly.

"MISUNDERSTOOD," she explained. Forcing her hands away from the patch, she finally declared. "AFFIRMATIVE. RETURN."

"What, you mean return to…?" as she nodded curtly, Raijin stepped back in shock "no way! We can't, y' know. They'll never let us back in after what we did. We told Squall that we were cutting our ties with Garden." He seemed to wind down slightly. "Ah geez, but without Seifer, that's all we have left. I think Squall knew we didn't wanna go, y' know?" He paused, and finally concurred. "I guess it's worth a shot. And, if he doesn't let us back in, he might at least tell us…something."

Fujin nodded curtly. "CLOSURE."

* * *

**A/N** Please review and let me know what you think! I'll reply to all your comments if they are signed, and keep any suggestions in mind. 

**Next time** Seifer makes his not-so grand entrance, and he is in bigger trouble than ever before. Which, really, is saying something for him…


	2. Hyperion

**DISCLAIMER** I own Final Fantasy 8; in the slang term of being a complete pro at playing it! Alas, no, I don't own it really.

**PART ONE - ****REUNIONS**

**Chapter One**

**Hyperion**

Seifer Almasy opened his eyes to the one place he never thought he would see again.

He bolted upright on top of a plain duvet. His Gunblade, strapped somewhat awkwardly to his side, slipped in a tangle of sheets and hit the floor with a thunk. He was still fully clothed in his trademark, albeit scorched, trench coat and tattered trousers. As he moved, pain shot through his decisively broken ribs. He pressed his hand against the deep and still oozing gash Squall's gunblade had made over his chest, the action almost without thought, since he was so astounded to be where he was.

A dorm room in Balamb Garden. Not just any dorm room; his old room! None of his things were there, but the mark Fujin's fist had once made on the plaster wall, in one of her infamous rages, marked it unmistakably as his. The room he had lived in since the raw age of five; until a few long months ago when he walked out of Garden for the very last time, on the fateful quest to Timber which had set the pillars of his life to crumbling. Until, finally, everything crashed down on him.

Well, apparently not the last time. Unless… Maybe they didn't plan on him walking out alive.

_How the Hell did I get here? _He thought, panic fluttering in his stomach. _Did they bring me here to execute me? Well, I'll show them I'm not afraid of death. In fact, I'd almost…_

He flung his legs over the side of the bed, sending another stab of pain through his ribs. "Damn you, Squall!" He bellowed, bent double.

It seemed rather barbaric to put him in here, in such a state. His wounds were untreated, not even cleaned up, which seemed especially bad considering the esteemed moral standards of Garden. Dr Kadowaki had probably refused to treat him. He snickered. _Why bother bandaging up a guy before you execute him?_

That was after all, the only logical explanation for his being there. But they wouldn't leave him armed. He frowned, trying to remember something, _anything,_ that led up to this predicament.

The Lunatic Pandora. He was there. He took Rinoa, his ex-girlfriend, who happened to be dating his life-long rival, and had given her to the evil Sorceress Adel. They had merged into a doubly strong Sorceress, and Squall had oh-so gallantly run to the rescue. Rinoa was in Adel's grasp, and the ancient sorceress sucked life out of the new one like a terrible mosquito. He sat cross-legged and watched the battle, dripping blood on the very same podium he'd recently gloated on. He felt strangely detached from the devastating battle he had set in motion.

He remembered the hatred flashing in their eyes clearly enough. He could still remember the sound of Rinoa's voice, as she was captive in his own reluctant hands, Gunblade Hyperion to her throat.

"Seifer… No more, please."

His resolve had faltered, though only for a moment. "Rinoa…" He'd begun, but like fate demanding he finish the action, reminding him there was no going back, Squall had yelled "Seifer!"

And Rinoa's fate was sealed, along with the world's. He gave her to Adel…

But what happened next? Try as he may, he could remember nothing after that. It was impossible for them to have won. Ageless sorceress versus a bunch of rookie kids; a pretty safe bet to place, right? As for himself, he assumed he blacked out, and was brought to Garden, though he couldn't say who would have done it. Had Ultimecia sent him, to punish him for failing her and for failing the dream? She knew the SeeDs were baying for his blood- perhaps she had thought it some twisted poetic justice to allow them their revenge.

_Unless of course… being defeated needn't mean they are dead… but Rinoa must be dead, or at least consumed._

His mind skipped feverishly to a hot summer day, where he held her in his arms in a room of pastel pink. "Don't worry, I'll help you and the Forest Owls."

_I killed her. _He felt numb at the thought, until the emptiness began to fill with… guilt? He was unaccustomed to this feeling, whatever it was.

Viciously shaking his head, he got to his feet.

_I'm not a Sorceress Knight anymore. I'm a young revolutionary. And do young revolutionaries lie in bed, feeling sorry for themselves like pathetic whelps? Hell, no! They break free, and fight till the very last breath._

He walked to the door. Pain shot through his side. He clenched his teeth and ignored it. Just to prove to his morbid curiosity he was a prisoner, he tried the handle. However, the door shot open with surprising alacrity, and he yanked it shut again in shock. He leapt away and drew Hyperion instinctively, heart racing, pulse beating, but no SeeDs rushed through the door to kill him immediately.

"What the Hell is going on here? Playing mind games, boy?" For, if anyone had survived that battle, brought him here and done this, it would be him. If anyone was desperate for revenge against Seifer Almasy, it was Squall Leonhart. They'd done a scar for a scar, so maybe it was torture for torture this time.

Anger rose inside him. _I've had enough of mind games for one lifetime. No more._

He placed his hand back on the handle, breathing deeply. He knew exactly how hated he was here. He had sent Galbadian forces against the Balamb students. He had tortured their precious Commander. He had killed the great Guardian Force, Odin- in Squall's hands a great defender of Balamb Garden. Numerous SeeDs were dead or wounded because of him.

_Yes, they have reasons to loathe me, all right. All they need to do is pick one._

Tightening his grip on Hyperion, securing a smirk to his face, he stepped out of the dorm room.

And gaped.

No one was there.

Sunlight streamed down through the ceiling window, and seemed to warm his skin, as it always had. He thought he had forgotten how it felt to call this place home. The sky was an innocent, deceptive blue. Even the weather seemed to be trying to lull him into a false sense of security.

He started down the corridor, skin prickling with anticipation now. From the angle of the sun, he estimated it to be midday, which explained why the dorm corridor was empty. But the main corridor was never empty, bar at night.

He stepped into the immense golden halls, keeping to the centre of the silver line that ran around the circler corridor. Water flowed peacefully beneath, the fish fountains still spewing water regardless of his presence there. He noticed one had a chip in it. That probably occurred during his attack on Balamb with Galbadia, not that he was offering to pay repairs.

There was a group of female students outside the car park, a little way down the corridor to his right. They were leaning on the banister, none of them especially familiar. If they were supposed to be his guards, they were going to get their butts fried. He debated walking past them- the car park was the closest exit. His Gunblade was a familiar weight at his side… ignoring them he turned left instead. At least he'd evade the busy canteen this way. He had the twisted urge to find out how far he could get without being confronted, and had a brief fantasy that he could walk straight out of the front door.

_Yeah, and I'll leave on a flying T-Rexaur from the training centre. What's the game, boy?_

"Hey, isn't that HIM?" One of the girls exclaimed.

"He's bleeding!"

He stalked forward stiffly, his scowl deepening. If Squall wanted him mad, he'd oblige him.

"Hey! STOP!"

_Not yet._

"Sorry Ladies. Places not to be." He called over his shoulder.

A SeeD walked towards him, and this one he knew as Nida. He'd passed Seifer's last failed exam, and had piloted the Garden against him. Nida caught sight of him and gasped.

"You acted your way through your SeeD exam? That explains a lot. Don't pretend you're surprised to see me."

The boy evidently had some brains. He turned around and legged it. But Seifer was without the customary chuckle he usually saved for occasions like this. The look on the kid's face wasn't just basic fear.

_A killer. That's all I am to him now. No, more than that. I'm a traitor._

He locked his free arm over his wound, which was bleeding more profusely with his movement. It was tempting to use Hyperion as a walking stick, as it was, the usually unnoticed weight was burdensome. There were reasons few people had the dedication to master the weapon. _I won't limp out like some crooked old man._ he thought. He still had some shreds of dignity, even with his shredded clothes._ Besides, I wouldn't want to scratch the pristine floor along with the dumb fish._

There were people outside the library. A library girl with short black hair looked up and shouted, he gave her a sardonic wave and she screamed more. Her friend, another librarian with brown hair worn in a high ponytail, remained calmer and ushered the small crowd into the library, then locked the room down with a heavy metal shutter. That was new- safety precautions had been given some attention since his last visit, then.

These reactions to his presence seemed real, but that didn't make sense. None of this did. How could the students not know he was there? It wasn't like he sleepwalked in. He chuckled. For all he knew, he had.

The entry corridor finally loomed ahead. He made his way down it, and ran into another shock

The entrance was blocked! So someone had been smart enough to stop him simply walking out. And he could guess who that someone was.

"Don't disappoint me now, boy," he muttered.

There was a slow, cool thunk of footsteps behind him. Pinning a smirk to his face he spun around, levelling Hyperion at his persuer.

A man he had never seen before stalked forward. He was middle aged, and in Seifer's unbiased opinion, ugly. His thick brows were drawn together over grey eyes. He stopped at around a 12-foot distance.

"You think you're in a state to fight me, Seifer Almasy?" The man demanded, his black brows raised. He drew a Gunblade of his own and levelled it with Seifer's. "Looks like one of my boys did a number on you."

"Who the hell are your boys? The card club? And who the hell are you for that matter!?"

"Who the hell are you to ask?"

"A young revolutionary."

The guy barked out a laugh. "Then I'm a thrustavius! I know who you are, Almasy, and revolutionary you ain't."

He smirked, eyes flashing dangerously. "My reputation precedes me. I'm honoured."

"What I don't know is what a murderer such as you is doing back here."

He flinched inwardly at the word murderer. "That makes two of us." He agreed.

"Don't be smart with me."

Hyperion seemed to be trebling in weight, but he held it steady and drew his arm back slightly, tensing his legs ready to move…

"He doesn't know how else to be, except a smart arse."

Xu Verity stalked forward behind Mr Anonymous, closely flanked by half a dozen SeeDs, including Nida. So, that was where he had dashed off to. Xu's thin brows were drawn together- she looked close to Fujin in a rage. Her Chestnut hair was tied back from her heart shaped face, only her half fringe free to obscure her left eye, the brown of the iris darkened in anger.

"Well, well, if it isn't the great second in command. Long time, no see."

"There's something to be thankful for," she said, stopping in front of the man and placing her hands on her hips.

"Whatever," he replied, unfazed. He peered around the group of SeeDs. "So is Squall scared to face me now? Here to do his dirty work for him?"

"You are the master of other peoples dirty work, Seifer. Not me." She said. "Squall isn't afraid of a low life like you. He's not here."

"Low life? I've been living the high life since I left. Haven't you heard? I was in control of a Garden- that's better than some of us have done."

"Not as well as some of us are doing, either."

He sliced his arm through the air in frustration. "Enough of this crap! What am I doing here?"

Mr Anonymous bridled. "I believe that was my question."

"Never mind," Xu said to him, then addressed Seifer again. "Last time I saw you, you were launching Galbadia Garden at us. Where are the reinforcements now?"

He swung Hyperion through the air, ending the motion with the blade vertical in the air. It hurt like hell, and his muscles protested the movement, but still he kept the blade steady. "I never need reinforcements."

_What the hell is happening here? Does she even know? Damn. I'm not in top form for another fight. No potions. But then, these candidates are amateurs- I could take 'em all on! _

Even if he hadn't exactly lived the high life, he had gained battle experience. And he had found it nothing like the simulations, the child's play, on offer in Garden. Bad shape or not, he knew he _could_ take on all these rookies, and Mr Anonymous would make a nice bonus; he was blatantly all talk. As Xu had so kindly informed him, his only worthy rival wasn't there. Useful information.

"What are you up to, Seifer?" she asked.

_None of these SeeD's are up to standard, but…_

An unbidden image came to him then. White SeeDs littering an unknown white beach, the hungry dark sea licking at the dead men's feet, claiming them, drinking the red pools into itself…

_But they don't deserve to die._

"Well?" Xu said.

"Nothing much. I could murder a hotdog, though. Has the canteen run out yet?"

Xu took a step forward, shaking with fury. It was like he'd transferred his anger to her. She slashed an arm through the air. "Cut the crap!"

…_Ok._

"You might want to tell Squall," he looked up and met her eyes again, "the disciplinary committee is getting lax. In my day, an enemy of Garden wouldn't get through the front gate without being…" he smirked. "…Disciplined."

Xu gestured the SeeD cadets forward. "Thanks for the hint. We're working on it."

He held Hyperion aloft, pointed heavenward as he studied it. A rainbow of colours shone from the blade, a few smudges like rust here and there. He had not had a chance to clean the blood off yet, beyond a precursory wipe. As always, it fit his hand like an extension- it was customised especially for him. As he had grown in experience, so had his attachment to his weapon.

In one sharp motion he threw Hyperion to the ground, and it clattered brokenly, useless without its master. _I scratched the pristine tiles after all._

"This is Garden issue. A wanted traitor and enemy of Garden clearly shouldn't be armed with its weaponry. That belongs in the armoury," he said.

Never before had he seen his gunblade lying so pathetically whilst enemies still stood in front of him. He looked up with an effort from the rendered harmless gunblade. Xu's wide eyes caught his immediately. She opened her mouth, closed it again, and asked quietly, "Are you… are you surrendering?"

"He just saw how hopeless the situation is," the man declared derisively.

"Shut up, Mason," she said absently without taking her eyes from Seifer, awaiting his answer. He looked away from her, and found his eyes on the gunblade again. It was too much.

"I suggest someone takes that. Now."

Nobody moved, so with a smirk he made a show of raising his hands and bowed in a mockery of surrender. They truly were terrified of him. The student brave enough to pick it up may well cut his throat with it.

_Maybe it would be poetic justice._

"Go ahead," he said, with double meaning only he understood.

Mason was the one to step forward. He picked up Hyperion gracelessly, but tested its weight like he knew what he was doing, and raised a brow. No one else had ever held Hyperion either, not since Seifer had first wielded it. Not even a blacksmith, since he had taken to customising it himself. The man raised his gaze to Seifer. "Nice piece. It'd be hard to give up without hope of getting it back. That's a big coat, Almasy…"

"That's all he has," Xu interjected. When Mason snickered, she insisted, "it is."

She turned around, giving her back to Seifer. "The situation is under control," she declared to a crowd Seifer had barely noticed congealed around them. "Now you can all go back to lunch, or training, or wherever the hell you were. And if you were here already, find some place else to be!"

With evident reluctance, the crowd began dispersing with many backwards glances. A boy with dishelved black hair sprang forward. "You bastard! How could you betray your own Garden like this! She's dead because of you!" He ran at Seifer and punched him soundly on the jaw, following with a kick to his stomach as he collapsed to his knees. Seifer's head spun with the blow, and he landed heavily on his arms. On the ground he clenched his fists to retaliate, but hesitated, and in that moment the boy was heaved away by a pair of strong arms, quickly followed by another, which Seifer blearily recognized as belonging to Mason. His hearing was somehow hazed but he could hear Xu's voice barking orders.

He noted that there was something not right, and that he was still on his knees. He shook his head lightly but it only made the fuzziness worse. He knew he should stand up, but the floor seemed quite comfortable, except for the pool of stickiness beginning on his arm where it clenched his chest. Heaving in a breath, he got a foot under him. Next step, literally, feet. He laughed at the thought.

"I wouldn't have much to laugh about if I were you," her voice growled, closer now. He caught a glimpse of her tight-lipped face as she lifted him on his left side, and felt the pressure of being lifted on the other side. "Lets get him to the infirmary. Looks like you'll have to skip the hot dog plan, Seifer."

His head cleared enough, through sheer embarrassment, that he could shake off whoever it was on his right side. "I… can walk," he uttered through indrawn breaths, and shook Xu off, too. He didn't argue with their destination, though. He staggered along with Xu alongside him, the lilac corridor of the infirmary seeming a great distance away. The guy made a sharp grab for his arm again, for security rather than assistance no doubt, but Xu told him not to bother, the idiot could blunder along if he wanted to.

And that was how Seifer came to stagger into Dr Kadowaki's office, where he promptly collapsed face down on the closest bed and the room was eaten away from the edges by blackness.

* * *

**A/N** Please review! Only one other person had read my writing before I posted this; so it would be cool to know what others think. Be honest; I don't want false praise, or false criticism for that matter! 

**Next time** Seifer's in deep trouble; but perhaps not in the sense you may expect. But is there anyone left who is willing to help him?


	3. Going Under

**DISCLAIMER** If I owned Final Fantasy 8, I'd move somewhere much sunnier!

**Chapter Two **

**Going Under**

Seifer lay unconscious, oblivious to the world even as Dr Kadowaki began the painful process of binding his ribs. His mind was plagued with disjointed images, but they were far more vivid than dreams should be.

He duelled with a young boy, his unruly mop of brown hair in his flashing blue eyes as he wielded a branch like a sword. Seifer could smell the cut grass, feel the impact of the blow the boy dealt his own stick reverberate down his arm. He flashed to the image of the boy on his back, the stick to his throat. Seifer's emerald eyes narrowed contemptuously and a smirk curved his lips. "Lucky this isn't a gunblade. You'll never beat me, boy," he said, though then he was just a boy himself. Next, he was older, and a full grown man cowered before him whilst behind him a girl with choppy silver hair shielded her face, blood dripping through her fingers. And then he was eighteen again, only now he was the one on his back, beaten, and Squall's stormy blue eyes were drawn on him, promising death.

_Though you haven't killed me. Yet._

There was a mewling noise, he felt a weight on his chest and blearily opened his eyes. A furry grey creature stood on him, its legs spread wide as it swiped a small paw at Xu. He zeroed in on her features momentarily- equal parts shocked, angry and amused. _Since when did the infirmary become a zoo?_ He thought. Then Xu's eyes met his and her voice seemed to echo around him, but he couldn't stay focused on any of it. He made out his name but nothing else.

_There is something wrong here, badly wrong_, he thought, before being dragged back under by that bloodthirsty tide of dreams.

* * *

"Wave goodbye to your childhood. Follow me to a place of no return."

As though on queue, Squall entered the room, closely followed by Zell, and both froze mid-step. This invitation was exclusive, from the Sorceress herself to him and _only_ him.

_This is it, my true dream,_ he had thought. _I guess I won't get a chance to tell you about it after all, Squall._

He raised his arm and waved sardonically to the stars of his childhood, then walked through the curtain in the TV station on pure instinct, and found himself in a different place entirely. He was in a long corridor, with guttering sconces on the walls. There was no door behind him, just a plain wall. He touched it wonderingly, and even as he did so, the sorceress appeared beside him, the wall rippling like water to admit her.

She regarded him briefly through pale eyes, both new and somehow familiar, before moving forward. "Come."

Seifer followed a step behind her. "Where the hell are we?"

"My stronghold. You may call it your new home. You've seen it before, haven't you? This is the place where your dreams become reality. Your true dreams, the ones the rest of the world knows nothing about."

Seifer frowned. "So how would you know anything about my dreams?"

"Because your dreams, your ambitions, are a part of me, and I am a part of them. Even spoiling as you were in the hard earth of Garden, I felt you. You were begging for a new pasture in which you could grow and thrive without meeting the restriction of a plant pot. You wanted somewhere to realize your true potential."

Seifer followed speechlessly, their steps echoing like gunshots. "You're saying I can do that …here?" He said finally. The dull stone corridor didn't exactly look like a pivotal platform to send him on his way to greatness.

"Yes. You were born with a destiny; to become my knight. You won't be restrained as those you grew up with are. You prepared your whole life, not for that silly ant army, but for this moment. There is much work to be done."

Seifer became substantially more impressed as they approached a door with magnificent etchings upon it. The sorceress raised her hand and the doors flew open. "There is corruption at the heart of the Garden enterprise, and there is much to be done to eradicate that evil from the world. It is like a fissure in a rock, their greed and lust for power is spreading to rend the whole world apart. We will save the world from such a cruel fate. From such corrosion."

"What do you mean?" He asked. "What greed?"

"You don't know? Could it be I've over-estimated you?"

He scowled, then muttered, "greed." Now that she had provided him a frame, he could find the puzzle pieces to fill it; things he had ignored all these years. He thought of the Forest Owls, and how hard Rinoa had worked for SeeD assistance. Then, when he thought they had finally seen moral sense and given in, he found they had merely sent three untried rookies who couldn't catch a chicken between them, much less face off against the whole Galbadian force. Heck, one of the team members was a chicken himself, and he would doom rather than save them. And it had been left to Seifer to do something about it. Something radical. And that had led him to the sorceress' side.

Finally, he saw the corruption and greed that was the foundation of Garden. It was like someone had cast blind on him in his youth, and the sorceress had remedied it. They only cared for money, their so heavily vaunted moral standards were, in fact, a disguise to lure in unsuspecting cadets, and turn them. But he had not been turned. He alone had resisted. And the sorceress recognised that. He suddenly understood why he had always failed the SeeD exams. He wasn't meant to be a SeeD; his destiny was greater than that, and Squall wasn't good enough to follow him.

Even as all these revelations coalesced in him as though fresh, new, there was another layer of thought, and this layer watched in disbelief as he followed the sorceress, and didn't embrace the pride and victory of his former self. It just felt confused.

_What the hell is going on? Is she… giving me dreams again? _He thought as the last of the scene unfolded.

"I understand, Sorceress." He answered belatedly.

"I'm glad to hear that. The people of this time know me as Edea; you may call me by that name. Serve me well, and I shall allow you my true name," she said. "You are tired. You must sleep to face the trials that lie ahead. Sleep, sleep and dream of what we shall achieve."

He inclined his head. "Yes, Edea," he muttered, even as he collapsed into the bad.

The scene faded into darkness, but Seifer's consciousness remained alert.The sorceress had always had free reign in his dreams, but never before had it felt like an invasion. She could not send him to the past, but he supposed she would have no trouble recreating a scene where she was present.

To the contrary of the Sorceress' words in his dream, there was no peace to be found here. He became aware of his physical body, it ached, but he wanted to go back to it.

_I don't care where I am. I don't care what I wake up to. I don't want to see any more. I just want… to WAKE UP!_

* * *

Xu pressed her hand to Seifer's forehead, as he moaned in his sleep. _He'd hate to think he did that,_ she thought.

"What's wrong with him?"

Dr Kadowaki shrugged helplessly. "He's comatose. Or at least, that's the closest I can diagnose. The state doesn't seem connected to his injuries in any discernible way. There's no head trauma, physically speaking…"

Xu regarded him solemnly as his body jerked slightly before going still again. Whatever was wrong with him, he was fighting it. Just as she would expect of him; he kept fighting even when unconscious. She felt a wave of mingled pity and respect. She had left within minutes of leaving him here, thinking he had merely blacked out from his injuries, but it seemed the problem was much more severe than she had assumed.

"You can't help him?"

"The fever hasn't abated. His wounds seem uninfected. I can fix their bodies, I can even give them advice, but I can't touch an unconscious boys mind." She paused. "Though Seifer's about as receptive to my advice now as he is awake."

"Maybe more so. He can't interrupt." Xu added. She noted that the doctor still spoke about him as though he was a student under her care.

Dr Kadowaki laughed before becoming serious again. "There's nothing more I can do. This isn't a medical problem. It's…"

"Magical," Xu supplied.

Dr Kadowaki nodded, though it hadn't really been a question. "A quick mind as usual, Xu. That's the first reason I called you here; the second is that you're the best magic user we have right now. Do you know what's wrong with him?"

"I'm only the best while almost everyone's away, doctor." But Xu closed her eyes and focused obediently. She could feel an undercurrent of magic, powerful magic, flowing through Seifer.

"This is far beyond my level of magic, or that of any SeeD." She sighed. "Well, that's what you get for meddling with a sorceress, I guess."

_If the sorceress is behind this, he must've done something to really piss her off,_ she thought, removing her hand. _Has she linked herself to his life force somehow? Are Squall and the others fighting her as we stand here, and she's leeching energy from Seifer? At this rate, she'll take him to the grave with her. If I try to use cure on him... will I just cure her?_

The small grey creature remained curled at Seifer's feet, it's bushy tail curled around its paws, oblivious to Garden's no pets rule. Ever since its bizarre appearance, the creature had refused to be moved. It whined softly and she petted it absently. _I never picked Seifer as the animal type. Still, trust him not to have a normal pet. I've never seen anything like it, _she thought, stroking between its pointed, tufted ears.

"I think there's someone who can help him." Dr Kadowaki said, breaking into Xu's thoughts "We need someone who can reach into his mind."

Xu frowned, then gasped with understanding. "Ellone?"

Dr Kadowaki nodded, but looked dubious. She didn't need to explain any further. The last report Xu had received from the commander stated that Seifer had kidnapped her. She put a hand to her forehead. _Trust Seifer to kidnap the only person who could save him._

"What an idiot," she muttered aloud.

She held her hands together, a habit when she thought deeply. "There may be another person who can help him. Another sorceress; Rinoa." If Xu had known he had kidnapped her as well, she would have slapped him, conscious or not.

"Let's hope she gets back in time."

Xu looked at Seifer, he seemed to be struggling again. Unable to stop herself, she put her hand on his forehead again. She found magic effects more potent when directed by touch.

"This might help," she whispered.

A circle of green light surrounded her, and feathers fell from the air, at which point the creature's head rose curiously to watch. Blue and purple light trailed down around Seifer, ending in a purple cloud, which vanished into sparkles like a miniature firework. However, it had little effect on him, apart from calming him slightly.

Dr Kadowaki watched silently, and then examined her patient as Xu pulled quickly away. "If any magic would revive him, full-life would. I think you've aided the healing of his ribs, at least. While I think about it, I'll be putting in some orders for more magic supplies. My stocks are low. I just hope the draw points aren't dry."

Xu held her hands in front of her formally, back to business. She suspected there had been a cool reprimand in the doctor's voice at wasting such powerful magic, but she had to try it.

"The last few months have been tough on our SeeD's, and on you in the infirmary, I imagine. I'll talk to Squall about getting you some extra help here. But, for now," she gestured to Seifer. "Think he can hold on until I track down Ellone or Rinoa? Could this kill him?"

"His condition is deteriorating. At first, he showed signs of regaining consciousness, but now he seems to be… going deeper, for lack of a better term."

_Dammit. Seifer doesn't deserve all these efforts. He stopped being worthy of my sympathy long ago._

"I'm not sure they'll even help him anyway," Xu said, then added sternly. "And it would serve him right if they don't."

"Isn't that for them to decide?" Dr Kadowaki paused, before adding softly, "Well, you're helping him, aren't you?"

"Yes, I suppose I am."

Xu turned to the door, looked back once, and strode out.

* * *

**A/N** - Let me know what you thought, all reviews will get a reply if thry are signed. I often use song titles as chapter titles; this one is from Evanescence. 

**Next time** will Seifer's mystery illness and the uncomfortable dreams it brings him destroy him? Also, find out how he first met his posse!


	4. A Knight To Remember

**DISCLAIMER** I don't own characters from Final Fantasy 8 or Kingdom Hearts 2. Squaresoft does. Rumour has it, the company was only a coin toss away from being called triangle-hard… umm, I made that up, don't sue me for joking! (Badly!) 

**A/N** This chapter is an extended cut; I redid it because I just wasn't quite happy with it. So if you had a hard time with it, this one is much better, but if you diligently muscled through, plot wise nothing has actually changed, so carry on (ushers forth)

* * *

**Chapter Three **

**A Knight To Remember**

The night hung oppressively over the city, the many street lamps dotting the road fought it back, but could not extinguish the darkness that stubbornly remained beneath. Even in the bright shopping district, patches of shadow seemed to cling to the ground as though to testify to the true nature of the town. The cat's eyes winked along the road as the boy strolled down the pavement, littered with cigarette butts and spots of chewing gum. He adjusted his black beanie hat, blonde tufts of hair still peeking beneath. His sleeveless off-white trench coat ruffled in the breeze.

_Yeah, Deling City really is a great town, _he thought, kicking a broken glass bottle out of his way and watching it skitter down the abandoned street. Despite the sarcasm, he smirked. It was far from home, and as different from his peaceful coastal hometown as could be; and he liked it for that.

Seifer knew that as a fourteen-year-old boy he had felt quite at home in that moment. However, like the light fighting the inevitable approach of night, the scene seemed to fade back as the eighteen year old, realising what came after, fought away from it. He embraced his present heart, even though it was beating erratically in apprehension.

_Dammit. I don't need to see this again._

A familiar voice spoke faintly, _"I think you have to see this." _

The scene came back to life around him as a scream peeled out from the street to his left. Seifer was propelled away from his present self into the breathing memory.

The armless trench coat flapped behind him as his black boots beat the ground and he turned down the street. _Looks like I might not have to wait for the training centre to test out Hyperion's upgrade, _he had thought.

Two figures were spotlighted beneath a streetlamp. A girl in a navy blue top and cropped beige combats struggled as a man held her forearm in a bear like grip. He raised his fist and the girl was obscured from view, but her piercing scream attested to the moment it came down. It felt like someone had cast slow on him. The beat of his heart out raced that of his boots on the tarmac and his arms pumped the air as he ran.

He glimpsed her, crumpled on hands and knees, head held in her hands as her long silver hair fell in front of her like a shield to hide behind. His gut twisted, but that feeling did not attest to how the image would imprint itself on his nightmares for years to come.

The fist rose again and Seifer was there, feet apart as he stood between girl and man. He drew Hyperion, and the fist met the width of the blade with a crunch of bone. As the brute bent over, cradling his most likely broken hand, Seifer whacked his torso with the blunt of the blade and he fell onto his back.

"Next time, I'll use the sharp side," he said casually.

"I'm not being beaten by some punk kid!" the brutish man bellowed vehemently, raising himself up on his arms.

"Heh. If you're not getting beaten by a punk, you'd better beat it outta here!" He swished the blade through the air, ending with it vertical in the air as he pulled off the safety and added in a dangerously cold tone. "Now."

The guy didn't move an inch, nor had Seifer really expected him to. He knew he only saw a kid with a toy, not a military candidate with thinly coiled muscles in his arms that attested to nine years training. Still, he would be happy to amend the brute's opinion of him.

_Doesn't look like I'm the first person he's underestimated tonight, _Seifer thought, noting in a glance the red marks on the brute's muscular arms, promising bruising, and his swelling eye. _Wouldn't want to be him in the morning. Someone else defended her before I got here. She couldn't have done all this._

He glanced over his shoulder at the silent girl, her shaking hand still covering the left side of her face. Her gaze was remarkably clear as she regarded him through her uncovered eye, despite the watery sheen of tears. He raised a brow; he knew from experience that kind of composure in the face of such violence was hard won. Few people were born with it. Either way, he found himself impressed by her demeanour, and was surprised at his own admiration and sympathy for her.

_Not bad, for a girl. Maybe some of that damage came from her, after all. It would be hypocritical of me to underestimate her._

"I think I'll add this guy to my 'take out' list. What do you say?" He asked her mildly before levelling voice and gunblade at the brute getting to his feet ahead of him. "And, no pops, I'm not talking about fancy restaurants."

Arm raised, the brute charged towards him. Seifer caught alcohol fumes from him even as he slashed down with the blade. A knife clattered to the ground from the brute's bleeding hand as he fell back once again. Seifer wondered vaguely if he would ever learn.

"I warned you. And I'll make this your last warning; next time, I'll show you why it's called a _gun-_blade"

A look of fear flashed across the brute's face, and, cocky even at that age, Seifer threw back his head and laughed.

The brute's brows furrowed, but the fear was still evident in his skittish eyes. "Just you wait! I'll get even with you some day!" was his passing shot. He stumbled away, and seemingly as an after thought pointed at the girl still kneeling and holding a hand to her face behind Seifer. "And I'll be back for you!"

Seifer slashed his blade through the air, and the guy began legging it in earnest. Seifer chuckled. He wouldn't be back in a hurry. He smirked over his shoulder at the girl, but the expression was instantly wiped clear.

"Hey." He said. He sheathed the gunblade and knelt beside her. Blood seeped through her fingers, giving clotted highlights to her silver hair, her one visible red eye wide. Now that the threat to her was gone, it seemed aftershock was setting in on her. He carefully helped her to her feet, and as she wobbled wordlessly scooped her up into his arms. He began walking back the way he had come; it was the shortest route to the hospital.

"Wait," she said softly. "We have to go back…"

"For what? If you dropped something, it can wait."

"No… we have to get… him…"

Seifer paused, frowning down at her. "Later. He'll get what's coming to him, trust me."

The girl shook her head once, before clutching it as though the action had worsened the pain. "He's back there… he tried… to…" the girl stopped, shaking.

Before Seifer had time to reply. A bellow rent the night and Seifer spun around.

"FUJIN!!!"

A silhoetted figure clung to the rails, proceeding towards them with an unsteady gait. He held a pole in his free hand, which Seifer took to be a detached piece of the railing, and likely the source of the brute's other injuries. "Put her down- now!"

Seifer looked askance at the girl. "Your boyfriend?"

She shook her head so emphatically that Seifer laughed. "I see."

This last movement had cost her; her head fell against his chest. She was slipping into unconsciousness.

"You'll be alright," he whispered. "Promise."

He could have sworn a slight smile touched her lips before she passed out.

"Yo, dude, what's so funny? Look just put her down, y' know?"

He sighed. _Help a girl out, and all you get is hassle._

The guy struggled closer. There was blood in his short spiky black hair. He had a wide mouth, small brown eyes and a dark complexion. His red vest top had black fire etched into the shoulders, and black trousers with a red sports stripe along the side.

"As much as I'd love to stand here and chat, I think I'd better get your girlfriend here to the hospital. You know, before she bleeds to death." He cast a look up and down the guy's battered body. "Feel free to tag along."

"I'm alright," the guy said, his body disagreeing as he collapsed to his knees. He looked up, desperation flashing in his eyes. "Just take care of Fujin."

Seifer nodded and ran ahead. He squinted in the light of the hospital reception, bright after the street. He placed the girl carefully in a grey plastic chair, and hailed the woman behind the desk. "Sort her out," he called as he ran back outside, ignoring the shocked exclamations that followed him.

He retraced his steps uphill. The boy had made it to the end of the alley. A car drove past, lights sweeping over him. But if the driver had seen the state of the boy, he made no effort to stop and help.

"I don't think you'll be needing that," Seifer said as he reached him. The boy dropped the pole, and Seifer flung the freed arm over his shoulders.

"You… rescued Fujin?"

Seifer shrugged his free arm. "So, what happened? Her Daddy caught you two love birds out past curfew?"

"You…helped Fu, didn't you… thanks… y' know..." His speech slurred, he seemed to be slipping out of consciousness.

_Why the hell am I even doing this? I'll never make the last train back to Balamb at this rate!_

"Oh, for gods sake. If you conk out too, don't think I'm carrying ya!"

Another voice spoke clearly around him, the fourteen-year-old Seifer looked up sharply, whilst the eighteen-year-old Seifer remembered that it was a memory he viewed; that he lay in the Garden infirmary and his feet weren't scuffing the streets of Deling City.

The voice, like a wind chime, had said, "don't stop fighting, okay?"

It was like an anchor to draw him out; the scene began fading out around him, the weight of the boys arm lifting off his shoulders. The aches of his present filtered back in. It almost seemed an unfair trade, but Seifer welcomed it.

_

* * *

__It's probably just the lack of attitude that is making him look innocent._ Xu thought, looking down at Seifer. 

His dark eyelashes rested against his pale cheek, blonde hair spread out over the white pillow. She balled her hands into fists, curbing an impulse to brush a strand from his forehead. He seemed peaceful, but she had a bad feeling about it. Dr Kadowaki had not seemed pleased at the change, either.

Xu had spent the best part of the past hour on the bridge trying to contact the Ragnorak's radio, but to no avail. She tried Esthar next, thinking that the President may have some information on Ellone and Rinoa's current whereabouts, but he was yet to return. His aide told her rather grumpily that Mr Loire was still involved on the sorceress mission, and they knew no more than she did. She left a message with him in case he returned, though had little hope it would be delivered. Meanwhile, she relied on Nida to continue attempting to contact the Ragnorak.

She yawned. _Why didn't anyone ever warn me that increasing responsibility equals decreasing sleep?_ _With great responsibility comes not-so-great insomnia!_

After leaving the bridge, she took over from the doctor, whom slept reluctantly in the spare infirmary cubicle. Dr Kadowaki had wanted Xu to rest first, probably due to the telling bags under her eyes, but she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep anyway. In the end, she had pulled rank on the doctor twenty years her senior and sent her to bed. In turn, the doctor had firmly ordered Xu to wake her if Seifer's condition changed.

"Don't stop fighting, okay?" she said. "Neither will I."

She shook her head at her own foolishness; he could hardly hear her. She began to turn away, but out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw a flash of emerald. When she looked directly at him, his eyes remained shut as before. She became convinced she had imagined it, probably due to lack of sleep. The only trace of open eyes on the bed belonged to the strange grey creature that sat stubbornly at the bottom of his bed. Its head was rested on its small paws as it peered up at Seifer.

_Why? _She thought, and flopped down on the small round stool; oblivious to the ruined trench coat they had earlier flung across it. _Why do I feel so compelled to save you? Was it your actions in the lobby tonight? Or maybe it's just my SeeD instinct to protect? Not that you deserve the protection of any SeeD. In fact, most SeeD's instincts would be to let you suffer._

Finding it hard to be mad at him whilst he looked so innocent, and not wanting to examine her motivations any further, she drew the curtain around his cubicle and strode to the doctor's desk. She sat in the office chair heavily enough to make it bounce slightly and wrapped her fingers around the steaming mug of coffee that awaited her there like a lifeline. She let the warmth seep comfortingly into her hands.

Unfortunately, she didn't drink in any fresh inspiration with the beverage. Her searches in the library and on the Internet had been fruitless. The screen of her laptop was blank and accusing. People always admired her for her ability to grasp situations quickly and she was known for her strategic brilliance. But she felt at a loss when it came to this situation.

_Or maybe I'm just at a loss when it comes to Seifer. _

Covering a yawn with one hand, she typed "Seifer Almasy" into the search engine on impulse, anything to occupy herself until the hoped for idea struck. High on the list of results was a web site called "D-Seifer."

_What the hell is this? _Under the heading "Project D-Seifer," a large photograph of him scowled out of the red front page. She recognised the clock and plant in the background of the photo; it was his Garden ID photo, taken in the second floor classroom. It was a few years old now and didn't include the scar on his forehead.

She clicked on the link to enter the main site, and drummed her fingers._ My laptop's about as fast as a tonberry. Technology hates me! _

She tapped the mouse again impatiently, which only slowed it down. It did so every time, but she could never resist trying. She speculated on the sites content as she watched the little green loading bar fill._ D-Seifer…is that a wordplay, like decipher? Maybe it's a fan-site, like the trepes. Not a very clever one, obviously, but he has always had a way of gathering followers… how come everyone except me has a fan site anyways?_

Three loud dings sounded from the Garden's speakers, and before the bulletin had even began Xu had closed the page and sprang to her feet.

"Xu, please report to the bridge. I repeat, Xu…"

Not wanting to waste time, she threw a water spell at Dr Kadowaki, yelling "sorry" over her shoulder as she dashed out of the door. Not exactly what they'd agreed on, but she hoped the doctor wouldn't be too mad at the rude awakening given the circumstances. She'd probably just berate her for wasting more magic.

She reached the elevator at a run, either the potential lead or the caffeine giving her a surge of energy. As the elevator crept slowly up the floors, she decided that technology really did hate her, and her mind continued to loiter on the site she had found.

_It looked a bit oppressive for a fan site. Well, I guess it's not relevant now, unless Ellone and Rinoa are members. _She smiled._ Yeah, you've got a great theory there, Xu. I'm sure Ellone had tons of Internet access, sailing around the world on that SeeD ship of hers…_

In her hurry out of the Infirmary, she hadn't noticed Seifer twitch at the sound of her voice, before sinking back into his sub conscious.

He was not alone there.

* * *

**A/N** Thanks for reading! As always, reviews are appreciated, and feel free to speak your mind, honesty is the best policy and all that! But if you honestly think my writing sucks I don't mind if you pass up reviewing lol. Anyway, the reviews help keep me motivated and give me a kick up the butt when I'm too lazy to write, so thanks to everyone who has left them so far. 

**Next Time**The person behind Seifer's unconscious state reveals more of their motives, whilst Seifer faces more skeletons from his closet. It's make it or break it time!


	5. Fiction And Truth

**DISCLAIMER** Final Fantasy 8 isn't mine, y' know!

**Chapter Four**

**Fiction And Truth**

Xu stepped off the elevator platform onto Gardens compact bridge. The star field was reflected in the sea below, giving the illusion that Garden was drifting in space. Her rush was momentarily forgotten as she took in the view, the cool air cleansing on her skin as she inhaled deeply.

The effect was shattered by a crude humming voice, and it took Xu a moment to recognise it as a butchered rendition of the old ballad 'eyes on me.' She glared at Nida, who shook his head vehemently and jabbed an accusing finger at the radio before placing his hand back on the steering lever. "It's the Ragnorak," he whispered.

"Um, hello?" she said dubiously into the microphone, as much to stop the torture as to find out who it was.

"Isn't this thing on hold?" a voice crackled out of the speaker.

_Since when can radio transmission be put oh hold?_

"Umm, no," she replied.

Nida shook with silent mirth, and Xu looked away quickly as laughter bubbled up in response. She cleared her throat. "This is Xu Verity, second commander of Balamb Garden. I have some questions for the Esthar president, and heard he may be aboard. Is he available?"

"Laguna Loire, president of Esthar speaking. Nice to meet you!"

"Hey, is that you, Irvine? Or Zell? This isn't the time to be messing around!"

"Of course it's me, Laguna Loire! You shouldn't judge a book by its title, you know!"

_Squall did say he was an idiot…I guess he wasn't exaggerating, _she thought. _In any case, I better be careful. It won't do to offend him while I need his help._

"Right, sorry about that," she said. "I just didn't expect the president to be so musically talented."

The Garden jolted as Nida's laughter erupted. Eyes wide and lips pinched shut; she put her index finger to her lips and motioned desperately for him to concentrate on the steering.

"Of course! So what can I do for you?"

She folded her hands together formally, putting herself into business mode. "It's more what Rinoa and Ellone can do. Do you know where they are? It's urgent that I speak to one or both of them immediately."

"I can't say exactly where Rinoa is, or even when. She went with the SeeD party on the sorceress mission."

"I suspected as much. And Ellone?" When he didn't answer, she pressed, "Please… someone's life may depend on her help."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nida jolt in surprise, but kept her gaze fixed on the choppy waters.

She had kept Seifer's condition between the doctor and herself. She hated to think Seifer could be attacked in Garden, especially after he had given up his weapon and lay helpless, but the cadet who assaulted him in the lobby was far from the only student with a grudge, so she had to take precautions. A few carefully selected SeeDs patrolled the corridors at a discreet distance to safe guard the infirmary. Violence was strictly prohibited outside the Training Centre, and even there it was not to be used against other students, but that wouldn't stop them while feelings ran so strongly.

_Seifer got around that rule when he traded scars with Squall, by challenging him off premises,_ she thought._ He's clever, not that he ever applied that to his exams. It would be poetic if that rule was broken against him now._

Laguna said finally. "Ellone's aboard, but she's out for the count. It's been a draining day for her."

"I'm sorry to disturb her. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important," she said. "She's the only one we have left. We think her expertise might help. We're relocating to our Balamb base, and I'd be grateful if you could bring her there."

She heard the tap of keys through the speaker. "Alright, I guess it won't hurt for her to stop by. I've changed our heading to Balamb. Just who needs her help anyway?"

"Just a student," she evaded, deciding it was not strictly a lie.

"Actually, we were planning to stop by anyway. I radioed through to see where the Garden is."

"Oh really? I thought it was a response to our attempts to contact you?"

"Oh, right!" He exclaimed. "Funny thing is I didn't realise you were trying to contact us until I radioed through! One of your SeeDs must have turned transmission off before they left. Lucky I turned it back on, huh?"

As nervous laughter filtered out of the radio, Xu put a hand to her forehead and rubbed away a blossoming headache. Squall hadn't warned her he was completely full of it as well as being an idiot. She opened her mouth to point out that the Ragnorak was set to track the Garden's position automatically so he needn't have contacted them for that, but remembered her vow not to offend him.

"Yeah, real lucky," she agreed blandly. "Can you give me an ETA?" When no response came, she added, "an estimated time of arrival?"

"I knew that, I was just figuring it out!" He said defensively. "Well, I'm not sure exactly; but this thing's pretty fast… we're still in Esthar territory. It will be... five hours, at least."

"Five hours? It's a spaceship, can't it get here faster?" She panicked, thinking how quickly Seifer's condition was deteriorating. She shook her head and spoke before he could respond, "Sorry. Thank you for agreeing, but please hurry. Before it's too late."

"That's alright. I admire a commander who looks after the troops! In the meantime, I may as well update you on the mission. Phases one and two were completed successfully. We haven't received contact from my- I mean, from the SeeD party yet. But… I don't foresee any problems."

There was a certain pride in his voice, which Xu didn't understand, but she dismissed it. She had enough to think about already.

"I have faith in them too. If anyone is capable of defeating Ultimecia, they are. Thank you for the report, we've been eager for news."

"No problems. We'll be there in a tick to save your student! Over!"

She swallowed back sudden emotion, telling herself it was only tiredness. "Over and out."

Seifer has been comatose for less than two hours, and it only seems to be getting worse. _Can he hold on that long? What more can I do?_

The sky view shivered over the water. Suddenly it didn't seem comforting at all, but vast and overwhelming. She curled her hands around the cool rail. _Eager for news, sure, so eager I forgot to even ask! And now that I think about it, I didn't even find out why they were headed here, either._ Her hands tightened. _What's gotten into me? I'm losing it. Maybe this is all too much for me without Cid and Squall. _She lowered her head._ What would Squall do?_

"Are you alright?" Nida asked.

"Fine," she said with a start; she had all but forgotten he was there.

She left and wandered towards the infirmary, where the still dripping doctor had secured a towel around her neck. She took one look at Xu, and rather than complaining about her wake up methods, ordered her to rest in a tone not to be argued with. Not feeling up to a fight, she trudged towards the dorms. She reached her room and changed into her lilac pyjamas before slumping down on the bed, but her mind would not tune out that easily.

Her thoughts were punctuated with tossing and turning. _Will Ellone even help Seifer? I can't imagine her saying, "why yes, I'll be happy to save the guy who kidnapped me…" Laguna seemed protective of her; he may not let her help him... Being the president, he may even be looking for Seifer, as an accomplice to the sorceress... Not that I should prevent him from being captured, right? It's my duty to help them, if anything. Just giving up his weapon can't erase all he's done... Why do I even care about any of this?_

_In any case, none of it will matter if he dies. _She rolled onto her back again._ Hold on, Seifer._

* * *

All was dark, but Seifer's conscious mind was alert. And it was not alone.

"What do you want?" he asked, though he couldn't say how.

"_I want you to see the truth. The truth that lies inside you."_

"I never did like riddles. I'm waking up from whatever the hell this is... Now!"

"_To where?" _There was a curious lilt to the voice. It was familiar to him, but shrouded somehow, like he was hearing it from afar.

_It's not the same person who told me to keep fighting… but it's obviously the one who put me in Garden. She's patronising me! Reminding me what I have to wake up to. _He thought. _I won't fall for the bait, just like that._ _It can't be worse than this. It feels like my energy's fading, and these weird memories…_

"Alright. So, what truth did that show me, eh? That Fujin's dad is an arsehole? Because, thing is, I already knew that! And what is this, anyway? 'This is your life, Seifer'?"

His question went ignored as another scene opened around him, and he was once again immersed in the body of his former self. He hated being unable to act. He always had to be a part of the action, watching what he had done before without being able to change or even do anything was frustrating. But he was held in as surely as a spider trapped under a glass.

The first thing he felt was the wind in his hair. He was high above the ground, a lone figure on the bridge of Galbadia Garden. Balamb Garden was opposite. It hovered above the ground, like a petulant bug in comparison to the Garden he commanded, the biggest and the best.

Fujin and Raijin walked up to him and peered over the edge. Fujin's hand flew to her heart and Raijin's skin took a greenish tone. Battle raged on the grounds below, but to Seifer it seemed to have a faintly unreal quality. The figures were just dots, like ants. They were too high to see the individual clashes distinctly, or to hear the screams. It was as though the battle was muted.

"Hey, where have you guys been?" Seifer said and flicked a hand at the chaos below. "Looks like we're winning to me!"

Fujin stepped back from the edge, her one eye a little wide, which Seifer knew meant full-fledged shock for her. "DISTURBING!"

Raijin waved his hand in front of his nose. "Is this really… us, y' know? The Galbadian soldiers aren't us. 'Us' is our posse, right, the three of us? As for Balamb Garden…" He shifted uncomfortably. "We studied with those kids, sat with them in class. And now we're just gonna stand here and watch them die? That's… not right, y' know?"

"STOP!" Fujin's arm slashed through the air.

"I get that it's hard. Sure, we sat in class with these people, had lunch in the cafeteria with them. But now look where we are! We're high above them. And why? Because we got off the wrong road, and on to the right one."

"Hmm." Raijin put his hand to his chin as though thinking deeply, then his hand dropped and he shrugged. "I still don't get it, y' know."

"It's like I've been telling you guys! You're focused in too close. You've gotta look at the big picture." Seifer shrugged broadly. "I miss the old place too, sometimes. But they are training to kill the sorceress, and now they're getting payback for it."

Fujin looked away from Seifer as though she couldn't stand the sight of him, arms crossed. "INNOCENT."

"Yeah, like, what have they done that we need to give 'em pay back for? She's still alive."

Seifer sighed in exasperation. He felt like he was talking to a wall. _It's a fine time for my chief lieutenants to question things. Why don't they get it? Well, I'll spell it out one last time._

"They're trying to kill Matron! They want her dead. It's like trying to kill your own mother! After all she did for me, and for them, my old 'orphanage gang.'" He said venomously. "I can't just stand by and watch that happen! I'm the only one who can stop it."

Seifer unsheathed his gunblade, and flashed it through the air, left, right, and then vertical in front of him. "You know, Matron was there when I first learned to do that move. She took me in when I was just a kid. And those others, too."

"I thought you didn't remember your childhood, y' know."

"I don't, thanks to the GF's. Maybe that's why they make us use them, they want to screw up our heads. But Edea's been reminding me of things I'd forgotten. A lot of lost memories." He strolled to the edge and put his hands on his hips. "You should trust your own strengths, and leave the GF's out of it! You should never bargain away your memories for the help of some wannabe gods. It's pathetic, how reliant Garden is on them!"

Fujin, not to be distracted, swept a hand at the battlefield. "INNOCENT."

"Yeah, like, they haven't actually done anything, y' know. We studied the war, sure, but we didn't know anything about killing the sorceress while we were in Garden. Maybe they don't either. Or maybe…" Raijin trailed off.

"FALSE," Fujin supplied. Then added. "CHANGED."

"Grown, Fu. That's the word you're looking for." He faced them and his gaze scanned each in turn. "And so have you both. We're all getting stronger, ever since we left. We're a posse, right?"

"FOREVER."

"Always have, always will," Raijin said, sounding resigned rather than enthusiastic about it.

"Well, what are you complaining about, then? Just enjoy it!" He said, and turned back to look down on the battlefield.

"FATIGUED," Fujin declared. She and Raijin nodded to each other and went inside.

Seifer barely noticed them leave. He raised a pair of binoculars to his eyes and zoomed in. He saw the bodies that had fallen in the dirt. A guy in a SeeD uniform fell defending a girl, who soon fell to her knees beside him.

The big picture, right? He reminded himself, lowering the binoculars. 

But his eye caught on the side of the demolished quad and he raised them again. A girl with black hair and a long blue cape-like garment flapping in the wind hung on to a rocky outcrop. His heart jolted. "Rinoa?" he whispered.

He didn't have time to wonder what he could do about it, or if he even wanted to do anything. One of the green mobile units he commanded flew down, and he scowled as he recognised Squall piloting it. She climbed on to the rope dangling from it. Seifer was the only one who saw her smile up at Squall, as he flew her back to the ground. His hand tightened like a vice on the binoculars, his knuckles turning white. It was obviously all set up for him; it had even happened at the side of the quad. Not exactly creatively staged; Rinoa hadn't even looked scared.

_Squall, playing the damn hero again. And it looks like Rinoa's chosen her side. Shame. I guess Squall couldn't get his own girlfriend. It wasn't that long ago that we… _

He shook his head. What did he expect? He had inadvertently introduced them, after all. He tracked their progress as they zipped around the outskirts of the battlefield, noting that they didn't get too close to it, didn't stop to aid any of them.

_They're coming for Edea. And for me, too, if Squall would admit it. Either way, they'll have to go through me before they touch her. I'll give Squall a tip or two on what it really means to be a hero._

Unseen by anyone, he drew Hyperion and slashed the air with it, levelling it at Squall's figure below. "I'm not the only one dying to get even! I'll sort the fiction from the truth for you, Squall. I'll show you who's the better man!"

* * *

Seifer felt cold as he returned to his dark subconscious. It was like he spied on someone else's mind and actions; it all felt so foreign to him. His own words echoed in his mind; "I can't stand by and watch that happen." 

_But that's exactly what I did. _He thought._ How many casualties were there? How many people died that day? I've had enough of this! No more!_

Hot fury wiped away the unfamiliar revulsion, and he began struggling to wake up in earnest. He tried picturing where he was in the infirmary, pictured himself waking up. But he found all he could picture solidly were the SeeDs that had fallen in the battle of the Gardens, and he was chained inescapably to this state.

Yet, for a moment, he could have sworn he felt something, a hand clenching onto his and something cool on his forehead. Were the mental chains that kept him here shifting?

"So, what are up to now? Preparing another horrific episode of my life for me? I can help you out. There's the time I lost my favourite mug for a week. Or the time the Garden car broke down, and I was stranded with Chicken-Wuss for three hours! In fact, I'd say that has to be the winner!"

The voice was silent, though there was a kind of static in the air. He knew he was being heard.

Another scene opened up around him. For a moment he thought his suggestion had been taken seriously, as a red car pulled into a gravel driveway. But this scene was entirely different to the one with Zell; different to anything he had been shown yet. The strange thing was, the past Seifer didn't know where he was, either. It felt both recent, and yet a distant memory, too.

He ran fingers through his soaking hair and blinked rain from his eyes as he looked up at an old-fashioned brick house with smoke billowing out of the chimney. Light poured from the windows like portals. He barely felt the cold seep into his bones; something about the scene had chilled him beyond the capacity of the downpour.

A woman bundled in a coat with long blonde hair flowing down her back got out on the passenger side, and a man with wavy brown hair tickling the collar of a smart dress shirt got out of the driver's side. He opened the back door and reached for something inside. The woman looked up and met Seifer's eyes…

Something triggered inside him. A feeling burried deeply. A feeling that he wasn't ready to root out. That he may _never_ be ready to root out.

"_That's it, no more! NO! Get-the-Hell-out-of-my-HEAD!"_

* * *

Seifer's emerald eyes opened wide to the fluorescent lights of the infirmary, and he bolted upright in the bed, gasping for air as though he had just risen from a deep-sea dive.

At the same moment, Ellone was propelled out of her seat aboard the Ragnorak, landing hard on the cold floor, the shock reverberating through her arms and legs. She pushed herself up, barely aware of Raijin rushing over to see what was wrong.

**A/N **Well, that's all for now folks! As always, review honestly. Your comments really help!

**Next Time** Fujin and Raijin come back to rejoin Garden, and it doesn't look like it will be a happy reunion for the posse! Seifer may be awake, but he's traded one danger for another. Out of the frying pan into the fire…


	6. Crossed Wires

**DISCLAIMER** Inspired by cookies, created by Squaresoft. Okay, I can't prove that the game was inspired by cookies, but this chapter sure was!

**Chapter Five**

**Crossed Wires**

"So, you're awake. Say your name for me?"

Seifer squinted against the bright lights of the infirmary. Dr Kadowaki stood over him, peering down with a warm smile. He covered his eyes and flopped back against the pillow, wondering why hospitals were always so damn bright.

"Alfred," he grunted belatedly.

"Geez, it really suits you."

Seifer glanced to his right. Xu sat on the bedside stool, dressed in thick lilac pyjamas with polar bears on them. Her brown eyes were narrowed under pencil thin brows, hair in disarray.

"You're sitting on my coat," he said in a warning tone.

She remained seated and held up the scorched hem between the tips of her fingers, cringing. "I think you need a new one."

"How do you feel?" The doctor asked.

He rubbed his eyes; his head was starting to hurt. "Never better."

Dr Kadowaki sighed and shook her head. "Why are you always such a difficult patient?"

"Because it's his natural state of being?" Xu suggested sourly, but the sarcasm was marred by a yawn.

"You should get some rest, before you wind up as my next patient."

Xu stood up and stretched her arms above her head. "Sounds like a plan to me," she ambled to the drawn curtain and paused. "I'll have questions for you later, Seifer. Don't pull another coma to get out of it."

"I'll be counting the seconds," he grouched, but if she heard she didn't respond as the curtain fluttered behind her.

The doctor tried to examine him. He looked down when she asked him to study the wall and tossed aside the thermometer disdainfully.

"What's the point in making sure I'm as fit as a fiddle before sending me off to the executioner anyway? Do you lose points if the goods are already messed up?"

"You think I stayed up most of the night treating you just to send you to be executed?" the doctor asked incredulously.

"Who cares?" he muttered, and he found he really _didn't_ care.

The doctor heaved a sigh and, knowing a lost cause when she saw one, left him to his own thoughts. Even as a student, Seifer had never submitted to an examination quietly.

He was so zapped of energy he could barely move, so he lay there and stared at the ceiling, soon losing awareness of his surroundings. He had no concern for what was happening in the present. Like clothe caught on a hook, his strange dreams were set on replay in his mind, often pausing on the students lying face down in the dirt, and of that house, so homey in appearance yet nefarious in feel.

_That last dream… something bad happened in that place. What did I do? Why can't I remember? _His sweaty hands fisted in the sheet.

Some time later, Xu came back, interrogating him as promised. He barely registered what she spoke about, let alone answered. Her voice was like white noise. He only noticed that she had left when the doctor brought a tray of food in for him, but just looking at the smoked fish made his stomach roil. She attempted to do some stupid tests on him again, but he ignored her.

His problems weren't the kind she could help with.

* * *

Xu leaned against Garden's entry gates and sipped a carton of orange juice, awaiting the Ragnoraks belated arrival, since she had Nida tell them there was no longer a need to rush. She certainly wasn't complaining about their tardiness; it gave her a break. She smiled into the sunlight, the warmth seeping into her skin as the tension spilled out.Students milled around on the Alcauld Plains, having picnic lunches whilst laughing and gossiping just like in the old days. The sound was as pleasant to her as the chorus of the birds tweeting melodies overhead.

She had cherished the few hours' sleep she got before returning to the infirmary to question Seifer, dressed more appropriately in her SeeD uniform this time. But her mood had soon soured, as he was completely despondent, barely acknowledging let alone answering the questions she launched at him, not even making his usual smart-arse comments.

In the end, the doctor interrupted with the firm suggestion that he needed more rest. Xu almost argued that he'd had a lot more rest than she did in the last twenty-four hours, but something about his demeanour stopped her. So she had gone to the entry gates to await Laguna's visit.

_I've never seen him like this before._ _Except that one time… Well, it doesn't matter. It's just the after effects of the coma. A little rest and he'll be the same jerk as always, _she told herself reassuringly. _I can wash my hands of him now._

Of course, Ellone's services were no longer required for Seifer. Laguna was only coming because he had already planned to. Xu was curious about the reason for the mysterious visit. _Perhaps Squall has left a message for us? I would've thought the president had better things to do than be a courier, but he is a strange one at best. Perhaps he has another mission for us?_

"Everything alright here, _second_ commanderVerity?" Mason's condescending voice preceded him as he marched up the Balamb road and came to a stop beside her. He ran a hand through his black, grey speckled hair and put his hands on his hips, arms poised to show off his muscular arms as though to prove his superiority. He seemed to think physical strength was more important that mental capacity, and though he seemed to respect Squall, he had shown her no deference.

She found that, the higher her rank got, the more some people resented for it. She knew Squall must have had dealt with that, too, with his quick promotion; but not to the extent that she did. Some were jealous, but many people would better accept a male leader, and Mason was that prejudice personified. She had hated him the instant she met him, and was waiting for an excuse to get rid of him.

"It was wonderful a minute ago, _Instructor_ Mason," Xu replied coolly.

"Rumour has it, the Esthar president is headed here. Did you report that treacherous dog, or are you still pampering him in the infirmary?"

"That information is classified to our _permanent_ members of staff, I'm afraid," she said. "Quistis will be returning to her old post when she gets back, and we'll have to let you go."

"Hah! Girls just aren't meant for advanced positions in the military. Even though I was at Trabia at the time, I know she was demoted. There's no need to lie."

Xu fumed, taking the slight of her friend personally. "Oh, so that's why she's on a top rank mission. I thought it was because she was better skilled than a substitute instructor. Silly me."

A glint on the horizon caught her eye, and within minutes the burgundy dragon-like ship sped into view. The dotted students stood to watch it land, and the magnificent sight distracted her from Mason.

_I wish I could ride that thing! Quistis is so lucky getting to go everywhere on it, _she thought enviously.

It swerved and bumped upon landing, a cloud of dust rising around it as the mechanic claws dug into the earth. Xu was just happy it hadn't landed too close. The war had injured enough of their students without adding a space ship crash to it.

_Only the Esthar president could turn something so cool into something so very un-cool. I guess that's what a drunken dragon might look like, _she thought. The ship lurched one last time before righting itself.

The hatch opened up and the entry stairs crashed down onto the grass. The gossiping voices seemed to go up in volume as two silhouettes appeared in the entryway. One was tall and bulky, the other short and slim by contrast.

"Perhaps she is aboard now. It may be your last day, so make sure you have a nice lunch," she said to Mason in a tone so bright it was obviously false.

"Oh, I will," Mason muttered before turning around and strolling away. Xu allowed herself a smile at this petty victory, but as she studied the figures disembarking it was wiped off her face.

* * *

The hatch opened in front of Fujin, revealing the graceful curves and soft tones of Balamb Garden. It emitted peace and serenity, the only place she had ever felt at home. The surrounding earth was still churned up from its first flight, but that did nothing to dull the impact of seeing it again. She felt years had passed, not days. Galbadia Garden had all the homey graces of a cave in comparison.

"Sure is good to be home," Raijin commented at her side, stretching his thick arms as he peered down, a wide smile spread across his face.

"HOPEFULLY," Fujin added.

Raijin nodded. "Yeah, don't count your chickens and all that. But they gotta accept us back, y' know!"

Fujin scanned the plains and the upturned faces of students dotted around it. She was unable to find an eye that wasn't cast in their direction, lunches deserted on blankets as they stood and shielded their eyes to get a better view of the visitors.

They nodded to each other, and Fujin's footsteps echoed on the metal stairs, Raijin's like gunshots behind her.

"INCONSPICUOUS," Fujin muttered as she stepped onto the dewy grass, though it came out as loudly as ever.

"Yeah. It's show time, y' know?"

She walked stiffly towards the entrance, nerves electrified and the volts escalating with every step as she weaved through the scattered blankets, giving them as wide a berth as possible. Raijin marched along at her side, showing no concern at all, and Fujin envied his calm. She never sought people's scrutiny, though due to her appearance often attracted it. She had always been happy to let the spotlight fall on Seifer and stay in his shadow. But now, it was just the two of them, and she was in plainer view than ever.

"Hey, look who it is, y' know."

Fujin's scowl deepened. The exam proctor who always failed Seifer walked towards them. Things might have turned out differently if Seifer had become a SeeD. His actions in the Dollet exam effectively solved the problem, and not only did she fail Seifer, but let everyone's favourite Squall take all the glory. It was unfair and absurd. The girl obviously had some bias against him. She was only two years older than Fujin, yet acted like she knew it all. Seifer would never kiss up to her in order to pass, which she'd bet was why Xu always found such lame excuses to fail him.

"Hi, Xu. Long time no see, y' know?" Raijin greeted her amicably.

_IDIOT, _she thought and glared at him.

"Well, well. The last twenty-four hours have been full of blasts from the past," Xu said. "Of course, I'm not really surprised you came. How did you even know he was here?"

"FIGURED," Fujin said.

It was pretty obvious that Squall would come back to Garden after the sorceress mission was over, did she think they were idiots? Even Raijin wasn't that dumb; no one ever stopped to see the other side of him. They just saw the big muscles and assumed they constituted a small mind. Perhaps true on occasion, but there was more to him than that. Fujin, of all people, knew you couldn't judge on appearances. It further incensed her against Xu. Her assumption that they'd return almost made her want to turn on her heel and walk away, just to prove her wrong. But the Garden still loomed behind her like a welcoming beacon.

"Where else would he go, y' know?"

Xu blinked, brows raised. "I guess so," she said finally, her tone dubious. "Alright then, follow me. Don't even think of starting anything, the grounds are more heavily guarded than they used to be. And stick close. The old disciplinary committee's not as popular as it used to be, either."

"WHATEVER," Fujin said as Xu turned towards the Garden.

"Yeah, since when were we popular, y' know?" Raijin whispered to Fujin, before they started following her across the plains.

The looks cast their way were more curious than malevolent, though Fujin still chased them off with a single glare. Raijin smiled around, but he made them turn away faster than she did, unintentionally scarier than her with his thick muscles and bulk.

They entered the front gate and followed Xu left along the corridor, surprising Fujin. She expected Squall to have lunch upstairs, being the commander now. She couldn't recall seeing him eat in the canteen even before his promotion. Much like her, he wasn't the socialising type.

She clamped her mind down on thoughts of what he may be able to tell her about Seifer, lest her hopes be pulled out from beneath her. Still, it was ironic to depend on Seifer's rival.

_IRRELEVANT. _

They had made their choice for the future now, and Seifer couldn't be a part of it, no matter how much she wanted him to be. It was just a matter of whether Squall would let them back into Garden. She could think of a hundred logical reasons why he would say no, and yet something inside her told her, though he wouldn't make it easy, he would say yes. Ever since their encounter in the Balamb hotel, she had the strange feeling he understood how they felt.

Xu turned off down the first corridor, breaking Fujin from her reverie.

"INJURED?" she asked.

"Yeah, but he'll be fine. No need to worry." Xu told her.

"BOTHERED!"

"Whoa! Squall, injured! I was beginning to think he was, like, invincible…"

Xu froze and spun to look at them, her face blank. "…Squall?"

Fujin tilted her head and crossed her arms. _WEIRD._

"Well, yeah," Raijin scratched his head. "You're taking us to see him, right? He's the one we need to speak to about coming back, y' know?"

Xu stared at him in disbelief. "You're… here to rejoin Garden?" She clarified slowly, as though digesting a bad fish.

"WHAT?" Fujin asked. She gestured towards the infirmary with a terrible suspicion. "WHO?"

As Xu's searched for words, Fujin knew instinctively whom they'd find in the infirmary, though her mind told her it was impossible. She nodded to Raijin and they ran forwards.

"Wait!" Xu called after them.

"What's going on, y' know?" Raijin huffed.

Fujin darted into the infirmary. Dr Kadowaki glanced up from her table and gasped, but Fujin was shocked at the warm smile that replaced the alarm. She spotted the closed off cubicle, then ran to it and yanked the curtain back in one vicious swipe.

He sat on the side of the bed, zipping his shirt over a patchwork of bandages, whilst absently swatting away a little furry creature that was attempting to climb onto his lap. He looked up slowly. She felt Raijin stop behind her. Seifer's emerald eyes locked on her, but they were empty of passion.

"Hey, guys. Fancy meeting you here."

* * *

**Next time **Fujin and Raijin face a tough decision. Where do their loyalties lie? 


	7. The Morning After

**DISCLAIMER** I doth not own final fantasy eight!

**Chapter Six**

**The Morning After**

Seifer's memories from four years ago flashed into his mind. This time, however, they came by invitation. He remembered what happened clearly, no spell required.

After leaving Fujin there to have her eye examined, he took Raijin into the hospital, supporting most of the bulky guys weight. They entered the reception area and a doctor took Raijin away. Seifer ignored them as his eyes flicked to the over sized clock.

"Crap!" He slashed his arm through the air in anger.

_Last train home to Balamb left thirteen minutes ago, _he thought._ I'm not even meant to be out of grounds, let alone on a different continent. If they find out I brought Hyperion with me I'll be doing detentions until I'm fifty!_

A nurse took him to the visitor's room. It was painted eggshell blue, with inviting plush navy chairs. Seifer sat in one and threw his arm across the back, ankles crossed, but it wasn't as comfortable as it looked.

"How old are you?"

"What's it to you?"

"You're too young to be out so late alone. Where are your parents?"

Seifer chuckled to himself, and the nurse gave him an odd look. "Who cares?"

"I see," the nurse stood. "Well, I suppose you want to stay and see how your friends are? You can wait in here, if you like."

_It beats sleeping on the streets tonight,_ he thought.

As the nurse left, he flung himself across the seats and used his arm as a pillow._ I'll just slip out early. I'm sure as hell not seeing those two again! Whatever happened to them ain't my problem._

He awoke in the early morning with a crick in his neck. Within moments a new nurse came in. "You're the kid from last night, I presume? Emily filled me in. Your friends want to see you."

_Wonderful,_ he thought. _I'm not here to make pals._

He followed her into their room nonetheless, figuring he'd best keep up the ruse; he could just slip out anyway. The nurse left them to it.

The girl lay stiffly on her back, long silver hair splashing across the pillow. Her eyes were closed in a presumably drug induced rest. The boy was wide-awake and grinned so broadly that Seifer figured he was on a heavy drug, too. He sat up in his bed, dressed in a hospital shirt.

"Hey, man. I'm glad you stuck around. We just wanted to say thanks for saving our butts, y' know."

Seifer shrugged and turned to the door. "No problem."

"Hey, what's the rush, y' know?"

"I've got places to be. Wait for your little girlfriend to wake up if you want a heart to heart." He took another step.

"Actually there was something I wanted to ask you. That guy beat the crap out of me, and Fu."

"Really? Hadn't noticed."

"But you scared him off," he continued, undeterred. "You're about my age… how did you get so tough?"

Seifer smirked and turned to face his new fan. "I'm a member of Balamb Garden. I train every day. That's how. Of course, I've got natural talent, too."

Raijin's eyes caught on the holster belted to his waist. "Whoa… you've got a sword! Awesome! Where did you get it from?"

"Heh." Seifer drew Hyperion and slashed it through the air a few times. "It's not a sword, it's a gunblade! It's like mastering two weapons at once. Only a few people around the world can do it, and I'm the best!"

He remembered the vicious marks and bruises on that dumb brutes arms. If this guy had caused that, he wasn't a complete waste of space. "Look, if you want to get tougher, Garden's the only way to go. You're not too old to sign up, though you've got a way to go if you wanna catch up to me! Galbadia Garden is the closest. It looks pretty cool, too."

"Yeah, I think I will. Got nothin' better to do. Fu and I are runaways, y' know? He would never touch her at Garden." Raijin's small eyes brightened. "Hey, why don't you transfer to Galbadia? You think it's cooler than Balamb, right?"

Seifer shrugged. "Balamb Garden's home for me. Besides, the only other gunblader worth mentioning is there. He's my only rival."

Raijin gazed at him in awe, mouth forming an o as he breathed, "whoa…"

Seifer smirked, beat his chest twice and placed his hand on the cold handle.

"THANK YOU."

Seifer halted. Her voice was different than it had been in their brief conversation the night before. Harsher. Finally, he raised his free arm in a wave and left the hospital.

It turned out he had a wait for the first train, so he got breakfast in a café. There was the last of the money he'd saved, gone. But hopefully the upgrade was worth it; he knew Squall didn't have it yet.

He boarded early and sunk into the soft grey seat, ankles crossed on the table. At least it was first class. He pulled his beanie hat down and closed his eyes, much more comfortable than he had been in the hospital, and started to doze.

The doors whooshed open, and the blast of cold air made him scowl.

"Whoa! We almost missed it, y' know."

"CLOSE."

He glared up grumpily, but the appearance of the duo made him smirk despite himself. They looked like they had been at war. The left side of the girls face was heavily padded, bandages woven around her head. Her friend wasn't much better off, his clothes slashed and torn.

"Hey guys," he said. "Fancy meeting you here."

They sat on the other side of the table, both dropping into the chairs as though exhausted.

"What are you guys doing here? Did they discharge you already?"

"No way! The doctor told us to stick around, but we wanted out."

Fujin pressed her hand to her heart. "COMING," she declared, determination flashing in her red eye.

"We wanna get tougher. Like you said, y' know? Garden sounds way cool…"

His mood sank as he imagined him wittering on while he tried to sleep. _I'll threaten him with my gunblade if I have to. They've already cost me a goddamn nights sleep._

"Galbadia's a lot closer," he reminded them curtly.

The guy waved a hand in front of his face as though he smelled something bad.

Fujin said simply, "AWAY."

She wanted to get away from where it had happened. He got that. He gave them a slow nod and surveyed them critically. _They're going to set the record for students in the infirmary, taking a bed before they've even joined. That's if they even let her in, with just one eye._

"Alright, just don't expect a guided tour or anything." He informed them with a flip of his wrist. He addressed the boy. "Oh, and one more thing. What's your name?"

* * *

_And now here we are,_ he thought. _Roles reversed._

Though they hadn't become a gang instantly, they had followed him ever since that day. Until the Lunatic Pandora, only yesterday, though it felt like a chasm had opened between him and his best friends, like they were as much awkward strangers as they had been that day on the train.

Xu and Doctor Kadowaki exited the infirmary. _How kind of them to give us some privacy for this. Feels like the prisoner's last meal or something._

"So, come to say your last goodbyes?"

"LAST?"

Seifer shrugged, and finished zipping up his shirt. "Well, it's obvious, ain't it? They're going to execute me. That's why I'm here."

He knew it wasn't true, but he couldn't be bothered to explain the events of the last day; he wouldn't even know where to start. But he knew they'd send him to the Galbadian government, who now that they were free of the sorceress' influence, would want her allies heads on a plate. And he had been her accomplice.

Fujin's hand slashed through the air. "NO."

"Well, I didn't say I'd go down without a fight." He smirked. "I don't intend to go down at all."

He finally felt he had really woken up, and was back to his old self. He pushed the grey creature away from his arm as it tried to clamber onto him, wondering vaguely where it had come from. The infirmary didn't seem the best place to combine with a pet house.

"So, what are you guys doing here?"

Fujin exchanged a glance with Raijin. It was like they had a telepathic link, as twins sometimes do. Not even Seifer always knew what passed between them, and this was one such occasion.

"FINISHED?" Fujin asked, her one eye keen on his.

"With the sorceress?" Seifer filled in. "Yeah. It's just me, now."

"NEGATIVE," Fujin declared with a rare smile.

"It's obvious why we're here, y' know."

"POSSE." Fujin supplied

"Always have, always will," Raijin added.

Seifer paused. He wanted to ask if they were sure, but he knew they would find it insulting. But he couldn't help warning them. "I don't know who's after me, I don't know what's to come next. I'm not sure how many people know I was…" he stumbled over the next words, "in league with the sorceress. But I do know one thing; it's going to get rough from here out."

"DUH!"

Raijin chuckled. "Yeah, what she said, y' know?"

"Alright," Seifer stood up and shrugged into his trench coat. He adjusted the collar before pointing to the door. "Let's get out of here!"

* * *

**A/N** R R doesn't mean rest and relax, it means read and review! You know the drill, be honest and open. I don't go into a Fujin RAGE when I hear something negative, (crosses fingers behind back) HONEST!

**Next time** I promised some main FF8 cast appearances; this chapter will feature the first! But who will it be? Wait and see! (Insert evil cackle here.)


	8. Booya! We Meet Again, Pupuran

**DISCLAIMER** I don't own Final Fantasy! Booya!

**Chapter Seven**

**Booya! We Meet Again, Pupuran**

Lunch was over, and the corridors were all but deserted. Fujin and Raijin flanked him whilst the uninvited creature bounded around his feet. He attempted to step on its fluffy, fox-like tail as it darted past, but it merely continued its irritating circuit as though it was a great game. They strolled through Garden unchallenged, and the front gate was wide open without obstruction, bar Xu. She leaned casually against the gate, arms crossed over her stomach. The breeze ruffled her brown hair, her chin tilted up to watch the Ragnorak lift off.

He came to a stop before her, and the grey creature sat by his feet, lambent green eyes staring up at him. He met them with a scowl, before ignoring the pest in the hope that it would disappear.

"You're free to go," Xu said, a smile touching her lips as the animal began prancing around him again. "You have been the whole time. It's not Garden's style to take prisoners."

"Oh really? Then what was with the lock down and the party in the lobby?"

Xu laughed, and Seifer scowled at her.

"You still don't get it?" She smiled and waved her hand through the air as though wiping a board clean.

"Why don't you spell it out for me?"

"The barricade yesterday wasn't for your sake. It's a safety precaution while we're in flight."

"Smooth flight," he grumbled. He hadn't even noticed, putting the mild lurching down to his blood loss. In hindsight, he felt like an idiot, and his glare at Xu intensified.

"As for _the party,_ as you call it," she continued relentlessly, "what did you think would happen if you turned up here? That we'd greet you with roses?"

"No, I'd expect lilies," he said.

"Because they're the flower of death?" Xu asked. "I never pictured you as a florist."

"Whatever. I'm surprised you didn't let me though. Wouldn't want any junior class men taking flying lessons without a parachute, but I'd imagine it's okay to tip traitors overboard."

"I won't say it wasn't tempting."

"You wound me so," he said, hand to heart. "Well, I have no intentions of hanging around. I don't intend to hang, period."

"Great," she said. "So you live and I get you out of my hair. Everyone wins"

"I'm sure you'll miss me really," he said with a shrug.

"Don't count on it."

He crossed his arms. "So what were you doing in the infirmary last night, anyway? Were you telling the doctor to give me a lethal injection?"

"You read my mind," she laughed. "You really are paranoid. I'd rather know what _you _were doing here in the first place."

"Huh. So you were waiting here to find out what my nefarious scheme is, eh?" He shrugged broadly. "We've danced this dance before."

"Dr Kadowaki believes you have amnesia, caused by some of kind of head trauma, which put you into a magic induced coma. That's why I'm not going to waste my time interrogating you."

"Too bad."

The grey animal accosted her, demanding attention as it pawed at her leg. She smiled and crouched down to stroke its head. "Well, your pet seems to have taken a liking to me. What's his name?"

"Fluffball," Seifer improvised. "And it's not mine."

She regarded him with raised brows and he shrugged. "How should I know the mutt's name?"

"Mutt?" Xu frowned and stroked its pointed ears. "I don't know what it is, but it doesn't look like a dog to me."

"If you want an animal report, go ask a vet. It's not mine, it just keeps following me, ever since you let it in the infirmary."

"I didn't. He just turned up out of nowhere, just like you did." Xu stood up and brushed off her skirt. "He wouldn't leave you alone while you were comatose. In fact, he wouldn't let anyone near you. I think he's adopted you."

"I'm feeling generous. You can keep it."

"Come on, Seifer. The pet's yours; you just don't remember it."

"READY?" Fujin prompted, nodding to the exit.

Seifer began to say "hell, yeah," but was interrupted.

"You're all going then?" Xu tilted her head and looked Fujin in the eye, though she rebuffed Xu's gaze with her most intense scowl, whilst Raijin scratched his head and looked away.

"Did I miss something here?" Seifer asked, wondering if he was becoming as clueless as chicken-wuss.

"NEGATIVE."

Seifer nodded, easily mollified, and the trio began to move past.

"Why do you think it's all about you, Seifer? The world doesn't revolve around you, and neither does this Garden." Xu was like a quiet volcano that erupted at the shift of a pebble. Her pencil thin brows were drawn together over blazing brown eyes.

"What the hell's your problem?" Seifer asked, stunned into stopping.

"Maybe you should pay more attention to those around you. You might learn something. That's all."

"Thank you so much for your divine wisdom," Seifer sneered. "But I won't be buying your advice column."

"Then I'll give you one more for free," she said. "Amnesia or not, I know something suspicious is going on. If you ever come back here, I'll finish you myself. Got it?"

He casually strolled towards her and leaned into her face. "Try a little harder, and you might be as intimidating as a bite bug." He stepped back and spread his arms. "Well, it's been a pleasure as always, but it's time to make a move."

He strolled out of the gate with a casual air, though her words stung. His comrades slipped into step beside him. The animal dashed over and trotted along next to him, a viable target for his anger. He slashed an arm at it. "Scram!"

Its eyes widened, ears flattened to its head momentarily before it darted around him, still thinking it was a game.

"Seifer!" Xu called.

He turned around with a raised brow. "What now? A last fond farewell?"

Her hand was stretched after him. She dropped it and looked away, chewing her lip.

_What's her problem now? _He thought. _The girl's a verified psycho._

"Watch your back out there," she said simply, then turned and waved her arm high in the air before striding away.

"Cute pyjama's, by the way," he called after her.

Her back straightened and her gait became stiff as she stalked away.

Seifer chuckled.

* * *

The trio hiked towards Balamb Town. The long road glinted in the sunlight as it stretched before them. The heat soon became sweltering, but the animal remained energized, straying around the path, snuffling the grass and snapping after flies. It leapt after a butterfly, and in its struggles disappeared from view, to Seifer's relief.

There was a simple pleasure in having his only true friends walk beside him, and he felt lucky to have now what he had taken for granted before. He had never expected to see them again. He wanted to know what had befallen them overnight and how they had tracked him down, but something obstructed his vocal cords.

_How do I sum up what I want to say? Sorry I dragged you out of your comfortable military life into complete uncertainty? Sorry I became a sorceress knight and made you pawns? Sorry I was a twat?_

He felt more awkward about apologising than not, so left it unsaid. He knew he was forgiven; the posse's friendship had always been unconditional._ I can count on one hand the amount of times I've apologised in my life. Zero. Why start now?_

"HYPERION?" Fujin asked from his right. Her field of vision was limited on that side, so it had taken her until now to spot the empty holster.

"That piece of Garden junk? I left it there for some other kid soldier to play with. I'll buy my own gunblade."

Fujin's frown deepened, but she made no further comment.

"So… what now, y' know?" Raijin asked. "What are we gonna do when we get to Balamb? And after?"

_That's the question, isn't it?_ He thought sourly. He scowled down at the tarmac road. _Where do we even start?_

His stomach grumbled and provided his answer. "Lunch."

Raijin was easily distracted from thoughts of their future. "Cool! I could catch some fish, y' know."

"HMPH."

As they closed in on the town, Seifer noticed a sound, like a fly buzzing. He glanced up, and saw a T-Board zipping out of Balamb's entrance. It swerved in a figure of eight over the grass, before racing back over the road, heading towards them by a meandering route.

Seifer squinted to make out the figure riding it. Red trainers were balanced on the board, under loose blue shorts. He wore a black and red jacket, with blue fire on the short sleeves, over a black shirt. As the T-Board spun away, Seifer glimpsed a black tattoo beneath the spiked up blonde hair.

"I suddenly have a hankering for chicken salad," he smirked.

They watched the T-Board swerve around aimlessly, flipping as a lame trick. The rider swerved away through a group of bite bugs and took them out with a few swings of his gloved fists, knuckle-dusters glittering, then made a sudden turn towards them.

"Whoa!" he cried as he saw them too late, and tumbled off the board in front of them.

Zell Dincht's dazed blue eyes blinked up at the trio looming over him. Seifer's arms were crossed over his chest as he smirked down. Fujin's red eye glinted with a scowl, hands clawed together in front of her stiff profile. Raijin stood by, intimidating as a chunky bodyguard with his muscled arms on his waist, beady eyes narrowed.

Raijin stooped down to pick up a book with a bright orange cover that had dropped from Zell's pocket. "No way! You're reading the Pupuran series?"

_Not quite the effect I was going for,_ Seifer thought with a sigh.

Zell stood up and brushed off his shorts, then grinned at Raijin. "Hell yeah! I've only read the first few, but they're awesome!"

"You gotta read 'we meet again, pupuran,' it's the best." Raijin handed the book over.

Zell slid it into his pocket. "I've gotta read 'Goodbye Pupuran' first, I've been waiting forever for someone to return…" he jumped, feet apart and arms spread wide. "HEY!"

Raijin jumped and took a step back. "W-what? It wasn't me, y' know?"

Zell stamped the ground, a small crack appeared in the tarmac below his foot. "The hell you guys doin' here? Are you here to occupy Balamb again?"

_That's more like it,_ Seifer thought.

"Long time no see. I haven't been to the farm lately!"

He chuckled as Zell raised a shaking fist.

"Hey, do you think they'd call me captain again?" Raijin asked Fujin excitedly.

"FOOL."

"Say WHAT!?" Zell slashed his arm through the air. "I won't let you past me!"

"You and what army's gonna stop us? I think you're a bit out numbered this time. It seems the tables have turned." He circled Zell as he spoke and paused beside him to deliver the trigger that never failed. "Chicken-Wuss."

"Y' know… Seifer…"

"What's up?" Seifer reached for his holster and clutched thin air.

_Aw, crap._

Zell grabbed the front of Seifer's trench coat, grip firm and unshakable as he pulled him forward. "Booya," he snarled.

Zell shoved Seifer away and delivered a hard kick to his torso. Seifer flew through the air, the pain screaming back to life in his ribs as he landed heavily on the grass. Gritting his teeth, he lifted his arm and scowled at the grass stains on his coat as though it was his only agony

Fujin and Raijin flashed into place in front of him, weapons held ready as Zell advanced. He was surprised by how far the kick had sent him; he was now closer to the beach than the road. He realized Zell had intentionally moved the fight away from any bystanders that may leave Balamb.

"Hold up, guys," Seifer said.

They stepped aside, but didn't stray far. In one fluid motion, Seifer flipped back on to his feet through the presented gap.

"You're alright as back-up when you've got your little orphanage pals around you. But I wonder how you'll do on your own?" He shrugged broadly. "But it's okay, I'm not completely heartless. I don't need to attack like a swarm; I'll leave that to you guys. I'll take you out on my own, you chicken!"

Zell shook with rage and punched his fist into his other hand. His blue eyes became a shade darker.

There was a flash of grey, and Fluffball was in front of him. The creatures whole body shook as it growled, the fur on its tail spiked up.

"What are you going to do, nip his ankles?" He slashed his arm at it. "Get out of it!"

The creature whined. It's wide eyes looked up at him forlornly. It padded aside and sat watching, tail wrapped over its paws.

"Hey, Seifer," Raijin muttered. "That guy's actually pretty tough. His right hook leaves a mark, y' know."

"WIMP," Fujin accused.

"You know me, I've got a plan. Rai. Loan me your fighting pole, will ya?" Seifer said, eyes on Zell, who was distracted by the creature.

Raijin handed the pole over without complaint.

"Fu. Go to the weapon shop in town and get me a sword, they won't have a gunblade." He dug in his pocket, pulled out his wallet and threw it to her.

She caught it. "SURE?"

"Yeah, the owner's a friend of mine. He'll let me return it later. Rai, go with her."

They nodded and ran towards Balamb. "Don't feel the need to rush, I bet this will be over before you get back," he called after them, though only for Zell's sake.

Sure enough, Zell's face reddened with heightening anger. "Hey! I said I'm not letting any of you near Balamb!" He slashed his arm through the air and turned to follow them.

"You really are an idiot," Seifer called, stopping Zell in his tracks. "What good would it do us to take over Balamb now? Raijin doesn't even have his weapon."

"SHUT UP!" Zell stamped the ground and raised a shaking fist. "What the hell do you want with me, Seifer?"

"I've been in hospital overnight. I saw you and thought it would be a good opportunity to stretch my muscles."

"Tch," Zell leaned on one foot and put a hand on his waist, calmed through sheer curiosity. The guy went through more mood changes in an hour than most people did in days. "Why were you in hospital? You look alright to me."

His broken ribs had barely smarted before Zell's kick, but throbbed now. Still, he knew they were far more healed than they should have been. It was as though days had passed in his coma; he had been surprised when Fujin informed him it was just overnight. He smirked at Zell, knowing Garden might regret treating him so well when their top martial artist was brought in on a stretcher.

"You told me in Galbadia you were dying to get even, right?" Seifer spread his arms wide. "Well, now's your chance."

Zell rubbed the back of his head. "I can't fight you now without a good reason, Seifer. I'm a SeeD, remember?"

Seifer chuckled. "Still a square, huh? Well, that's why I made it fair and square for ya, one on one."

"Fighting outside of training or missions is forbidden," Zell recited.

Seifer spun the brown pole experimentally as he spoke, swapping it from hand to hand. "Fighting other _candidates_ is forbidden. I don't think I qualify. If you're planning to tell-tale, you can say I started it." Seifer touched a gloved hand to his forehead. "Squall got away scott free for this, after all."

"Whatever. I'm not throwing my career away like you did," Zell said.

Seifer swapped the pole to his other hand. "You know, I was never officially expelled. Guess that makes me the head of the disciplinary committee. So I'm willing to let you off. Think of it as intense survival training." He pointed the pole at Zell. "Either way, this is legit."

_Seems my aversion to fighting was only temporary,_ he realized._ Why am I even bothering with Dincht? It's almost too easy._

"Tch. What are you blabbering about, Seifer? You talk too much."

"That's rich. Maybe you're just too scared of me, here and now? Is that it, Chicken-Wuss?"

"Fine! I won't lose!"

He stretched his left arm to Zell, turned his palm up and flexed his fingers. "Bring it!"

Zell ran forward, launching punches at Seifer, which he parried with Raijin's pole, though the shock reverberated down his arms. Zell jumped into the air to deliver a kick from above, and again Seifer deflected it. Zell somersaulted back and landed perfectly.

"You're not trained with that. Me," Zell grinned and held up his fist. "All I need is these fists of mine! If you want your new blade first, I'll wait for ya. We were doing this fair and square, after all."

"Heh. Fair would be if I had one hand tied, Chicken-Wuss!"

"DAMMIT!" Zell raised his fist, and a sphere of fire rose around him. Then he knelt to the ground and punched it, cracking the earth. Seifer leapt aside, barely dodging it.

_Damn,_ he thought, looking down at the wide fissure in the hard earth.

Zell came at him again, with a barrage of punches. Seifer backpedalled, blocking furiously with the pole.

_I can't get on the offensive with this thing! _He thought as a blow nearly landed on his chest._ Why the hell did I go all noble and give up Hyperion? _

Zell yelled, punctuating every word with a punch. "I-am-not-a-CHICKEN!"

The last blow was a high kick, and it caught Seifer's cheek. He fell back, landing hard on the grass. He felt warmth at his mouth and wiped blood off his chin.

_Every good deed costs, I guess. He's getting tougher. _He looked at the smear on the back of his hand. _I can't believe he drew blood._

"Looks like you're not a chicken after all," Seifer said. "You're a full-fledged chocobo."

"What are you doing here, Seifer?" Zell asked again. "You came from the Garden, didn't you?"

"I was just taking a stroll. It's a nice day for it," he said sarcastically, jumping to his feet again. "What about you?"

"Should've known you'd give me a bullshit answer," Zell grumbled. "Since when do you care what I'm doing?"

"I don't. Tell me anyway."

"I need to report at Garden." Zell gestured to the building. "And I want to see the others. We got separated after we killed the sorceress. I wanted to go straight away, but Ma wanted me to stay overnight."

_So that's it. She really is dead,_ he thought.

"Mummy's boy," he quipped, mainly to cover the fact that the news was like a fist in the gut. He felt dazed, and he wasn't sure if it was due to the news, the blow or both.

_That coma… was she punishing me, trying to drag me to the grave with her?_

"SEIFER!"

He looked up as Fujin threw the new blade his way. Dropping the pole, he caught it at the handle. She had managed to get a gunblade. He could tell from the weight of it that the mechanism was loaded; she must have done it for him, they weren't sold that way. It was lucky they had even had one, since Balamb tended to sell more conventional weapons. Where Hyperion was curved and made for speed, this was heavier, thicker but shorter. A typical model built for firepower, like Squall's Lionheart. It was definitely used; the blade was notched.

_Squall would laugh at me if he saw me using this pile of crap. If I use the trigger, it might just go off in my face._

But it was a vast improvement on Raijin's pole. "That was quick. Thanks, Fu."

"HASTE," she said, and he noticed the faint glow of the magic around her.

"Good thinking." He threw the pole to her, and she caught it. "Give this back to Rai when he gets back."

He could see the brown giant lumbering towards them, before he returned his attention to his opponent.

Blade raised, he leapt forward, shouting "BWARK!"

* * *

**A/N** I'm a review junkie, give me a fix!

**Next time** See how the battle ends! Plus the posse looks for a new place in the world, and consider what lies in store for them without Garden.


	9. Balamb Port

**DISCLAIMER** If you think I own Final Fantasy 8, you are an idiot. Seriously.

**A/N **This chapter is extended but not new; if you got an alert, it's because I cut an old one I wasn't happy with in two and extended the two halves. Sorry for any confusion, but Part Two will start soon! Honest!

**Chapter Eight**

**Balamb Port**

Gunblade raised, Seifer leapt at Zell, shouting "BWARK!"

But Zell ignored the taunt. His stance was anything but defensive, legs and arms spread apart as though he had jumped in shock. His blue gaze flashed between the grey creature and Seifer. He jumped back from the attack at the last moment and rubbed the back of his head. "Hold it! No way were you…"

Seifer scowled, losing his momentum with the lack of active defence.

"You're really that scared?" He asked mockingly, following Zell's gaze as it darted back to the animal. "Of that little thing?"

"I-I gotta go tell… I mean, check the others are okay!" Zell ran over to his T-Board, righted it and hopped on.

"What's up, Chicken-Wuss? You wanna run before I stop your legs operating?" Seifer called after him.

Zell swung around and zoomed past them. "We'll finish this later! It's just now… I gotta…"

Zell shook his head and made a straight course towards Balamb Garden, neither sticking to the road nor meandering this time.

"FOLLOW?"

"Nah, leave him," Seifer said, feeling somehow satisfied with the confrontation, though he rubbed his throbbing cheek and vowed vengeance for it. Zell fleeing from him was not disheartening as the fear of the SeeDs had been. In fact, winding him up had felt just like old times.

_Why was I so averted to fighting when I turned up in Garden? I live for this! _He thought and shook his head as he saw his friend's eyes on him.

"No wonder Chicken-Wuss had to run. Having an idea is a once in a lifetime experience for him. Let's just add him to the payback list."

"COWARD."

"Yeah, it's typical of him," Seifer agreed.

"He seemed shocked more than scared, y' know." Raijin observed, and earned a furious kick from Fujin.

"Oww… Hey, I'm just saying!" Hopping on one leg, he added, "Someone who reads Pupuran can't be all that bad…"

Seifer heaved a long-suffering sigh.

His stomach growled. He still fancied chicken salad.

* * *

With adrenaline draining from him, and the heat of battle no longer clouding his vision, Seifer was apprehensive as they approached the grey arched entry of Balamb Town. They had nowhere else to go; yet after Fujin and Raijin's antics as Commander and Captain of the Galbadian soldiers, he knew they couldn't just waltz in peacefully. 

Yet they did. To his left, the car mechanics continued to work on their latest patient. A mother walked by hand in hand with the daughter. She spared a wide eyes glance for Seifer's ragged atire, but did not hasten her steps as though threatened in any way.

"No one gave us a second glance when we ran through to the weapon shop. I don't think many of the town people saw us last time, y' know," Raijin opined.

"SLEPT," Fujin said.

"No, I didn't! I was just getting us food, y' know! You wanted to try Balamb fish, right?"

"NEGATIVE."

Seifer smiled.

They strolled down the subtley descending, cobbled road. Smoke spiraled out of one chimney, a black cat curled up on the welcome mat of another door. The villagers they passed barely gave them a second glance. The town was at peace again, yet the calm atmosphere was at odds with Seifer's own agitation. It was almost abrasive, like sand paper against his skin. He couldn't just kick back and relax after all that had happened over the past few weeks.

"I've got a few questions for the weapon shop owner," Seifer said. "Let's cruise by."

They walked into the small, dim shop. The podgy owner glanced up from a magazine spread open on the counter top. The room itself was little more than a box, but through the steel door was a smithy and storeroom for his limited wares, which consisted mainly of daggers and spears, and the occasional oddity that appealed to the owners taste; like Seifer's new gunblade.

"Well, if it isn't Mr Almasy! It's been a while since you've been in my smithy!"

"Things have been hectic lately, Todd."

Todd nodded his small, round head knowingly, greasy black hair flat to his skull. "That's how things are for you SeeDs. Mercenary life's tough, eh?"

"It's a walk in the park for me," Seifer said. The owner had always assumed he was a SeeD, and Seifer had never bothered to correct him, since he had always thought he would be before long anyway.

_How things change,_ he thought.

The shop owner's eyes travelled to Seifer's holster. "So, where's your usual blade, eh? Could hardly believe it when your girly here said it was for you!"

Fujin put her hand to her heart. "NOT HIS." There was warning venom to her tone, which only made Seifer smile.

Todd waved a fat hand in dismissal. "Sure, sure. So, what happened? She looked like she had the three headed hound from hell on her tail."

"Cerberus? We already beat him, remember?" Seifer said. It was surreal, talking amicably like this. He wondered what he would say if he knew Seifer betrayed Garden. "As for why I needed this… well, I can't break SeeD confidentiality,"

"You've told me plenty before now!" Todd guffawed. "Must have been a few of 'em. Looks like you need some ice on your cheek."

Seifer rubbed his cheek. _It's official. I'm gonna kick that chicken's ass._

"I just wanted to start out with a new blade. A new challenge, that's all," he growled. He nodded to a magazine in the owner's blackened hands. "The latest weapons monthly?"

"Got some good gunblade designs in this issue. Take a look at this one." He turned the magazine around on the desk, jabbed a finger at the page and left a greasy print on the design. The blade glimmered red, and the shot mechanism shot a fiery blast rather than the usual gunshot.

"That's awesome, y' know!" Raijin enthused, peering over his shoulder.

"YOU. VERY," Fujin agreed.

"Yeah, but it's kinda bulky," Seifer said. "It's not exactly built for speed."

"It would be a good upgrade for that new blade of yours, though," Todd said, spinning the magazine back around and squinting at the page. "Says you need an inferno fang from a Ruby Dragon. Apparently they're found in the snowfields of Trabia. You should get one if your SeeD business takes you to those parts."

_On Trabia Garden's doorstep. Perfect,_ he thought. _I'll just waltz in and say 'sorry I blew up your home with a missile. I'm just here for a weapons part and I'll be out of your hair. I promise I won't use it on you this time!'_

"I kinda doubt it. Don't suppose you've got any parts to start me off with?"

"You know how it is here. You find the parts, and I install them. 'Course when it's you, you do that, too! Got to respect a man who takes care of his own weapon. Not like the guy I got that new blade from this morning; you can tell by looking at the state of it that he didn't care for it at all. Still, thought a candidate would buy it and give it a go, until they realise how tough it is to use. Kind of a fashion, what with the commander using one. Never dreamed you would buy it!"

"Yeah," Seifer growled, not enjoying the idea of Squall the icon. "So who sold you this blade?" He asked casually, as though the question hadn't gnawed at him for the past half hour.

"That new instructor of yours, up at Garden."

Seifer's hand balled into a fist. "Mason?"

"Yeah, that's him!"

It wasn't like he hadn't suspected, but the confirmation still made him want to hit things.

Todd tracked the look on Seifer's face. "Can't say I liked the guy much either, I fleeced him for it! The piece is notched and dirty all over! How about you leave it overnight and I spiff it up for you? I wouldn't usually have sold it like that, but I hadn't had a chance to see to it yet. Think of it as a chance to make better of it than he did."

But Seifer wasn't listening. _I bet that dick's using Hyperion now! Talk about an unfair trade!_

He turned to the door without another word.

"Come back when you get some parts," Todd called after him. "And hey, that job's still open if you get a dull break in your SeeD work. Wouldn't want your skill to go to waste!"

* * *

That night, the soft bed was the most comfortable he'd had in months. The cream moonlight danced on the ceiling through a crack in the curtains as they ruffled in the night's breeze, and Seifer watched it with his hands behind his head. The hours crawled by, and though his eyes were heavy they never came close to closing. His mind was too alert for that. 

He wondered whether he was on the governments wanted list. Perhaps the hotel owner was informing them he was there right now, and they would come for him during the night. And, of course, Fujin and Raijin would be caught, too.

He shook his head, then scuffled out of the bed and dressed in his loose black trousers and navy blue shirt emblazoned with a white cross, and added his belt with holster and gunblade. As he treaded softly to the door, the grey animal raised its head sleepily from its curled paws, eyes glinting, before dozing off again. Seifer shut the door on Raijin's snores.

For the sake of their meagre finances, they all shared the same room. Fujin was not prudish about that kind of thing, at least when it came to him and Raijin. However, she kept her eye patch on, even though it must be uncomfortable. Or perhaps she was just used to it. Seifer had never seen the damage of that day so long ago, at least not the physical scars.

The side street circling the hotel was derelict of human life; unsurprising since it must be at least three in the morning. A rat scavenged leftovers at the back of the hotel. It scurried away with a morsel clenched in its jaws at Seifer's approach, leaving the only sound as that of the sea hitting the shore. He made his way to the sea wall, and sat with his feet hovering above the gloomy water.

The visit to the weapon shop had darkened his mood. There was the knowledge that his new piece of crap blade had belonged to that jerk Mason, who was now using the gunblade he had crafted for over five years. Not only that, but he had it rubbed in his face that Squall was the local icon, while he was…

_What? What am I now? _

It had dawned on him that, for the first time in his life, he had no one to follow. First it had been Garden, then the sorceress. But now he had no path set before him, no one to guide him. It was liberating, and yet disheartening. They had no resources and no money, not to mention who might be after him. Working at the weapon shop may well be his best option. Though he wouldn't let anyone else handle his own weapon, dealing with someone else's was repugnant to him, almost like menial slave labour.

"Dammit," he muttered. He punched the ground and stood up; the salty sea air was not soothing him at all.

As if his unstable situation wasn't enough, this new start was hardly a fresh one. He still had questions about everything that had happened over the last twenty-four hours, but decided they would have to go on the back burner until he figured out how his posse was to survive.

He walked back to the hotel, scowling at the world in general. He lay back down with a sigh and frowned at the milky ceiling. All he had were questions without answers. Todd's last words to him that day came to mind, and his eyes widened before a smile crawled over his face. _That's it! Of course! Why didn't it occur to me sooner?_

The flash of excitement ebbed into exhaustion, and he fell into as peaceful a sleep as he'd had in weeks.

* * *

He sat on the hotel balcony. The salt air seemed much more refreshing after a belated but full nights sleep. Even the chorus of the gulls, which usually pissed him off, was vaguely soothing for its familiarity. He sat on a cheap white hotel chair, beside a flimsy matching table, which rocked every time something was placed on it. It was currently loaded with a toast rack beside assorted jams and butter, a depleted coffee and Seifer's plate loaded with the debris of a full English breakfast. He had made short work of it, unable to remember his last hearty meal. Raijin sat next to him with a newspaper open at the cartoons page, which Seifer had handed over after perusing it for his own face, but there was no sign of a wanted picture there. 

He had no idea where Fujin was; she was gone when he and Raijin had awoken. She hadn't left a note, which Seifer decided he would have a word with her about. He reigned in his paranoia before assassin images revisited his mind. There had been no signs of a struggle, and Fujin would not be kidnapped so easily.

"Almost forgot, y' know," Raijin mumbled between a mouth full of toast. "That chick Ellone had a message for ya."

Seifer's head shot up. "What did she say?" he asked, heart racing. Then he scowled to mask the keenness of his interest. "Was it along the lines of 'rot in hell, Seifer?'"

"She said…" Raijin gulped down a glass of orange juice and wiped his mouth, "she was sorry, y' know?"

Seifer's mouth dropped open. He couldn't have been more shocked if the message had been that he was her illegitimate son. "Are you sure?"

Raijin nodded.

"Why? What for?"

"Well, I asked her that, too. I thought it was weird, how forgiving she was after we kidnapped her and all. But she just asked me to deliver the message when I saw ya, and said that you would know what she meant."

"Huh," Seifer grunted. He looked out over the balcony and the glittering sea, feeling an inexplicable weight settle on his heart. "Someone should tell her you're not supposed to apologise to your kidnappers. It's kind of meant to go the other way."

"MORE," Fujin's voice rang out behind them.

"Hey, where've you been, y' know? We were worried."

"CLEARLY." Fujin's eye roved over the messy breakfast table. "OUT."

"So, what else did Ellone say?" Seifer asked, unable to disguise the curiosity in his voice this time. He was intrigued despite himself.

"Oh, right. Well, not much. Only that she wants to see you again, soon."

_So was it her after all? _He thought._ She took me to my own past. I should have known Ultimecia couldn't pull it off like that, not even as an illusion. I guess I just didn't think Ellone would use her power like that._

He chuckled aloud at his own thoughts. _How about that? Maybe, after everything, I'm still naïve. Everyone has a dark side, after all. Even Miss Sweetness-And-Light Sis._

"SEIFER?"

He got up and shook his head. "It's nothing." He stepped back into their room and froze.

His trench coat lay across his bed; he had not even noticed it was missing. It was clean and fresh as the day it was made. Even the scorched hem had been cut off and stitched up. He put it on. It hung a few inches shorter, but fit as comfortably as ever. It would have been difficult if not impossible to get a new one, since it had been custom made for him by a trainee designer ex-girlfriend.

He turned around and grinned. "Fu. You're a star."

She looked away, her cheeks reddening. "NOTHING," she lied, just as he had, and they both knew it. It was such an easy word to lie with; it erased all complicated explanations in one fell swoop, like cutting an oak tree with one sweep of an axe.

* * *

Seifer was in the harbour again. He crouched at the waters edge, hands resting on his knees as he peered into the guileless, refracted blue of the water. He held a rod loosely in his left hand, and swapped it to his right as it cramped. An empty blue bucket sat next to him, attesting the day's achievements, or rather lack thereof. No training, no upgrading his weapon; just a pole, an empty bucket and his rumbling stomach. 

The green box of fishing tools that Raijin had brought was within easy reach, but he was yet to need it. The yellow and red ball bobbed in the water mockingly. He scowled into the water.

He had returned to the weapon shop and left the new gunblade there for the day. Todd didn't seem to mind, having spent enough time around Seifer to adjust to his mood swings. They had spent the rest of the afternoon leisurely. He had done so mainly to heal back to full health, but he hated being idle, and could not help cataloguing all the better things he could have done with his time.

_I may have been able to find some monsters on the beach and get some parts for an upgrade, from crap up to bad. But, no. Instead, I've just been sitting here for bloody hours looking at the damn sea, which is apparently derelict of fish anyway…_

"Woo-hoo! Alriiiiiight!"

Seifer was broken out of his reverie and his head spun around. Raijin skipped around and punched the air, apparently performing some kind of victory dance. A large orange fish hung on the end of his rod.

_Dammit!_

He scowled, got to his feet and threw the rod to the ground.

Fujin stood behind Raijin. She put her hand to her mouth thoughtfully and then kicked him in the small of his back. He tumbled off the edge of the harbour, fishing rod and all. Fujin clasped her hands behind her back and regarded the horizon as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. A great splash marked the moment he hit the water.

Seifer threw back his head and laughed warmly, eyes shining. It was at that moment he truly realized how much he valued his friends, and how lucky he was to have them.

But that did not mean there was no loss in his heart.

A shadow fell on him, and he looked up in awe. Balamb Garden flew over them. The motors ran so smoothly he had barely heard it coming. It glided along as gracefully as a swan, all gentle curves and calm colours, majestic compared to their surroundings, yet not out of place, just as a swan was not out of place in a lake.

Fujin stood beside him and watched it sweep by as Raijin clambered out of the water; though Seifer was so transfixed he barely even noticed them.

He watched it go, and wondered if he would ever call anywhere else home. It was strange, how he only now realised how much he had taken it for granted. He had developed all his skills there, grown up there.

_Squall could always be goaded in to a challenge. And there was Zell, so easy to antagonise in a dull moment. And Quistis, there to stick her nose in between me and the boys, _he thought. _Why didn't I realize any of this sooner? It's too late now. I can never go back._

He couldn't believe how he had walked out of Garden so calmly yesterday. As though he were leaving nothing behind but a building.

"_You'll never be a SeeD. Calling yourself a captain is a joke."_

He was surprised to find it was Xu's words that reverberated in his mind.

_I was never meant to be there at all, I was never meant to be a SeeD,_ he thought, watching it go._ But I have a second chance now, to find my own path._

His mouth twitched into a bittersweet smile.

As it glided out of view over the horizon, he looked away and caught Fujin's shining eye on him, her lips parted slightly.

Raijin clambered up and dripped water on the harbour. He unhooked his fish, which by some miracle he had kept a hold of and dumped it in the bucket. He took his shirt off and wrung the water out of it.

Seifer sat next to him and Fujin followed suit.

"PENNY?" Fujin said.

Seifer rested his arms on his legs and looked out at the horizon. _I suppose it's time to tell them about the master plan. _

"My thoughts are more expensive than that right now. But if you pay up, you'll make back what you spend, with interest."

Raijin took off his soaking shoes and banged them against the ground to empty out the water. He looked up with a broad smile. "Come on Seifer! Don't leave us hanging here! Tell us what we're gonna do, y' know?"

Fujin smirked. "KNOWS."

Seifer relented. "Alright, I'll give you a hint. What have we spent our whole lives training for, 'till now?"

"SEED."

"Follow that thought."

"MERCENARIES."

Seifer smiled and Fujin smiled back.

Raijin leaned forward and looked from one to the other blankly. "Huh? What? I don't get it, y' know."

"We're going to be mercenaries, Raijin." Seifer explained. "Independently."

"But won't Garden get all the bids? No one will hire us, y know, they'll think we're just…"

"FAILURES," Fujin finished, her smile sinking.

Seifer flipped his hand in the air. "Don't be so pessimistic. First, I'll upgrade this gunblade. Show off what we can do. Gunbladers are rare, so we'll still appeal. Then, we can take on the cases that Garden refuses, get our name known."

"REJECTS?"

"No, not the rejects! _Refusals._ The ones none of the innocent SeeDlings has the balls for! The tough stuff. The gritty jobs. We'll be millionaires before you know it. It'll be fun!"

"OKAY."

"Why not, y' know?"

"Now I've told you my thoughts, pay up! We've got places to go and upgrades to buy!"

"Mercenary troops have a cool name, right? So what's our name gonna be, then?"

Seifer smirked.

* * *

**A/N** As always, your reviews are read, replied (if they are signed) and appreciated, so keep them coming! Seriously- I take everything you guys say on board, and as I'm sure I've said before they give me a kick up the backside when I'm feeling lazy. 

**Next Time **It's three month's later, and there have been some new developments in Garden. A new war is beginning. It's clear that Seifer is involved in the new threat, but how?


	10. Steel Garden

DISCLAIMER I don't own Final Fantasy 8. If I did, I would've called it first fantasy and worked my way up to final…

**PART TWO**

**YOUNG REVOLUTIONARIES**

**Chapter Nine**

**Steel Garden**

Rinoa watched as Squall all but collapsed into the chair at the head of his office, which he had made into a meeting room by placing some classroom tables and chairs in a circle. He leaned his elbow on the table and put a hand to his forehead in a gesture she knew well.

She perched on the seat beside him and pulled his hand down. She leaned in at an angle, head tilted so she could look up into his face. It gave nothing away, bar the dark circles under his eyes, which attested to a long night whilst the rest of Garden slept; she included. She felt guilty and wished he would let others help more; even after all they had been through, he still tried to do everything alone. She couldn't decide if it were due to habit, instinct, or mistrust.

"What is it, Squall? What's getting to you?"

He heaved a sigh. "Let's just wait until everyone else gets here. I don't want to explain it more than once."

Pain stabbed through her. As his girlfriend, shouldn't she be allowed in where others weren't? She saw a reaction flash in his eyes and his hand tightened a fraction on hers. She felt like an idiot, and stamped her disappointment down._ Now I'm just making him feel even worse. Of course, if he just spoke to me in the first place, it wouldn't be a problem._

She smiled. "Okay, you don't have to. But I'm sure it'll be a few minutes before Zell manages to round the others up. I bet I can relax you a little…"

Both looked up as the door opened, and Squall dropped her hand, prompting a small sigh from her.

Selphie skipped through the door in her usual bright yellow dress, the only hint that she had been awoken was a strand of hair flicked out of place. She grinned at them. "Good morning guys!"

"Good and morning should never be uttered in the same sentence." Xu ambled in like a zombie, feet shuffling over the floor. Her hair was clumped into an off centre ponytail. She wore a red tank top, obviously adorned hastily as the tag stuck out at the front. A belt was looped in her black jeans, but hung loose as she had failed to clasp it. "What time is it?" she asked on the end of a monstrous yawn.

"Just gone three am," Rinoa supplied with a smile, amused by the contrasting two girls. She felt awake enough, too, but wasn't about to tell Xu that.

"See, it's not even morning yet! How could it possibly be good?" Xu took the seat to Rinoa's left, the unnaturally energetic Selphie prancing in next to her. Xu crossed her arms on the table and slid down so her head was rested between them, face hidden.

"This is so exciting! I don't think I've ever been called to an emergency meeting before!" Selphie exclaimed. "Unless you include when a friend called me at one am because she'd been dumped…"

"Wow, you really are a morning person, aren't you Selphie?" Rinoa said.

"Tee-hee." Selphie grinned and gave her a thumbs-up. Xu glared at her over her arm as though she had broken the holiest taboo before her face sank out of view.

"So, what's up?" Selphie asked, blithely unaware of Xu's disregard.

"Let's wait for everyone else," Rinoa said quickly. She glanced at Squall and saw the briefest hint of a smile on his face. She twisted off the top of the flask she'd brought with her and poured a cup of coffee for him, flavoured with vanilla, his favourite. She purposefully brushed his hand as she passed the cup to him.

It had been two months since the end of the sorceress war. Things had calmed down into a normal routine, and their concerns had returned to the every day issues of Garden. When Squall knocked at her door she had welcomed the late night visit, until it turned out to be for business. However, she couldn't help noting that he'd woken her himself, fetching Zell on the way to gather up the rest of them.

_So he must have wanted to see me,_ she thought. _He probably knew I'd be as grumpy as Xu if anyone else dared intrude on my sleep._

"Do I smell...?" Xu's muffled came from her bowed head, just as Rinoa had suspected she was asleep. Her eyes cracked open, gaze fixed on the steaming flask. "Please tell me that's what I think it is?"

Rinoa took pity on Xu and poured her a mug of the steaming brew. "If you mean the best coffee ever made, then yes. Do you like vanilla flavouring?"

"I don't care if it's flavoured like gasoline," Xu grasped the mug and glugging it down desperately.

Rinoa laughed. "Good coffee should be part of the deal for a mysterious night time meeting."

"As should a pillow," Xu added, rolling her shoulders.

"And a kiss from a beautiful girl!" Irvine's heavy drawl preceded him, and he swaggered in with a wink at Selphie, who deftly pretended not to notice. He adjusted his cowboy hat and stopped behind Rinoa. "I hope there's a cup of that for me, darlin'."

Quistis followed, looking as alert and in control as ever. She took the seat next to Squall with a small wave to the room. "I'll take one, too."

Rinoa, happy to have something useful to do, distributed the coffee accordingly.

Zell ran in last, glowering at Irvine. "Why didn't you hold the lift for me?"

"Did my invite get lost in the mail?" Irvine asked, gesturing to the martial artist with his coffee, who raised his shaking fist. "Zell here forgot to wake me, but he was making enough of a ruckus for everyone in the Garden to hear. Isn't this meant to be, like, a covert thing? The main gang only?"

Squall nodded curtly. "You were invited, Irvine. Now calm down and take a seat, Zell. We've got important things to discuss."

"R- right!" Zell stuttered, and took the last seat between Quistis and, unfortunately, Irvine.

_It's going to be a long night, _Rinoa thought. _Why can't they just get along?_

"Sorry for the wake up call, everyone. But we've got big problems," Squall began, and Rinoa wondered if the others could see how awkward he felt. He hid it well, but she knew he hated talking to groups.

"What's happening, Squall?" Quistis asked.

He ran a hand back through his outgrown hair, frowning slightly. "Have any of you heard of Steel Garden?"

Rinoa hadn't, but kept silent. She didn't want to look like an idiot in front of Squall. She never knew the Garden lingo, and routinely swatted up after their meetings, having not understood a word. She looked around at the circle of blank faces and was relieved that, for once, she wasn't the only one. "Nope, never heard of it. Was is it?"

Squall caught her eye, and she knew he saw through her completely. She widened her eyes in faux innocence.

"I didn't think you would have," he said, lowering his gaze and took a long draught of coffee, completely oblivious as they all leaned forward in eager anticipation.

"Is it a new teaching programme or something?" Selphie asked, a begging lilt to her voice.

"No, it's not from inside Garden," Squall said, and frowned as he put his mug down. "At least, I don't think so." He crossed his arms on the table, scowling in thought.

They all leaned further forward. Squall picked up his mug and swirled the remainder around it before drinking it down.

Finally, Zell clasped his hands together with a clap. "Come on already! Tell us what it is!"

"Well, I don't know much at the moment," Squall shrugged. "But, put simply, Steel Garden is an anti-military group formed from the sorceress' followers. Despite her death, they still want her goals."

A gasp went around the room.

"Yo, wait a minute," Zell said. "The Galbadians are claiming that they had no voluntary involvement with the sorceress. She didn't _have_ any genuine followers is what they say."

Irvine pulled his hat down. "We know of at least one voluntary follower, don't we?"

"Or you could say three," Quistis added.

"Wait a minute. You don't mean…?" Selphie began.

Rinoa fixed her eyes on the tabletop. "Seifer."

Squall shrugged. "I don't have any names yet."

Quistis shook her head. "It must be. It's just what he would do, right up his alley."

Xu shook her head, but suspicion flew around the room.

"He threw me to Adel because it was Ultimecia's wish." Rinoa looked down at her hands clasped in her lap. "I didn't grow up with him like you guys did, but I thought I knew him well enough. That wasn't the Seifer I knew. She changed him."

Until that moment in the Lunatic Pandora, she had held a candle of hope for Seifer. Since he joined the sorceress, his behaviour had been like a vicious wind, trying it to its limit. Adel had been terrifying, and by joining them together, he had finally extinguished that hope. Since then, she had given a lot of thought to his motivation. She could never do something like that to someone she cared about, and had concluded that he had never cared for her at all. Either he had changed into a person she could not recognize, or she had never known him at all. Perhaps she had only seen what she wished to, like a schoolgirl with a crush.

Seifer's name was almost taboo, so she hadn't brought it up with the others. She had almost spoken to Squall about it, but she didn't want to dredge up bad memories for him, he had enough of those. She also feared he'd misunderstand why her thoughts lingered on her ex boyfriend. With the sorceress' death, she had dared to hope that Seifer had made a decent new life for himself, that maybe he was happy.

She glanced at Squall, who frowned at the table, yet the determined glint in his eye belied his apathy. He knew Seifer best of all. A cool certainty that this is exactly what the new Seifer would do crept into her, and she felt a stab of anger that he should make Squall suffer even more, and intrude on their hard won peace.

_Won't he ever just stop?_ She thought. _Still, I'm a sorceress now. And I'm affiliated with the military. Maybe peace just isn't on the cards for me._

Zell's voice brought her out of her thoughts. "He got a taste of what it was like to run a Garden, and now he wants more. That sounds like him to me, but…" He glanced over at Squall fleetingly, but the commander ignored him.

"He always wanted to take over the world. He wanted it all," Rinoa said.

"And last time we saw him, he said he wasn't ready to stop," Quistis added. "And he didn't want to share it with Squall. Now that Squall's commander, he wants to knock him off his post, and take over."

"You didn't see him when he was here," Xu said, her brown eyes blazing amber at Quistis. "He threw his gunblade away… I never thought he'd do something like that."

Quistis glared over at her. "And you didn't see him kidnap Rinoa! He was always unbalanced, but he went over the edge. Didn't he pass out soon after? He put down his weapon because he wasn't up to a fight."

_Seifer wouldn't do that,_ Rinoa thought. _He'd never just backed down from a fight, no matter how bad he felt._

"Hey, cool it, ladies," Irvine said with a broad shrug. "He's not worth getting all worked up about."

They all ignored him.

"It wasn't like that," Xu stood. "You weren't there!"

"No, it's _you_ who was not there," Quistis countered, standing and slamming her hands flat on the table.

Zell stood up. "Hang on a sec, will ya! The last time we saw him, he was…"

"Zell," Squall's voice was quiet, but carried his new found authority. Zell stopped talking, and everyone looked at him "Sit down," he said, and they all did.

"But Squall-" Zell began, hands spread wide appealingly, but the look sent his way was enough to shut him up, and he fisted his hands on the table and looked down.

"I didn't call you here to discuss Seifer," Squall said. "We don't even know whether he's involved."

"Just where did you get this information anyway?" Xu asked.

"Mason called from his post in Galbadia. There's a divide within the soldiers. It seems some of them are still brain washed by the sorceresses influence, or maybe they just liked what they heard. Others have returned to duty as usual." Squall's lips tightened for the briefest moment.

"That does make sense," Quistis concurred with a sigh. "People should be thanking us, grateful that we got rid of the sorceress. And they should want that protection for the future, not turning against us and trying to over throw us! She would have killed us all."

Rinoa looked down at her hands and felt her eyes dampen. She still hadn't gotten a grip on her powers, despite Edea's help. Her heart raced. Her greatest fear was losing control of her powers, of becoming a threat to her friends…

She felt a callused hand in hers, and looked up with a gasp. Squall glared at Quistis before returning his stormy blue-grey eyes to her, and the warmth in them melted her anxiety. It was still rare for him to show public affection for her, and she smiled in gratitude.

"Well, Garden has the remaining sorceress on their side, along with the greatest knight. Let them try." Rinoa said, squeezing Squall's hand and only smiling wider as he blushed and looked away, hair falling to shield his face.

"Sorry, Rinoa," Quistis said, her hands clasped on the table. "I didn't mean you."

"That's okay."

"So what do we know about this 'Steel Garden'?" Xu asked.

Squall rubbed his head before continuing. "Not a lot. Galbadia Garden is conducting an investigation into it. I'd like to say it's an empty threat, but…"

"But what?" Rinoa prompted, squeezing his hand.

"I just have… a feeling about this. I think it's serious."

"Well, things had been too quiet lately, any who," Selphie said brightly. "It's about time we got to kick some butt to kick. If they're made of steel, we'll explode holes in them! KA-BOOM!"

"Hell, yeah!" Irvine agreed. Rinoa knew he'd agree with whatever Selphie said. She thought it was cute that he had always liked her. If he could just keep his eyes off other women, he may be in with a chance.

The meeting dissipated into smaller discussions; nobody seemed aware that it was the middle of the night anymore. Everyone seemed to have an opinion about exactly what 'Steel Garden' was, and what their objectives were. Rinoa listened attentively, filing away the brighter suggestions so she could sound smart to Squall later. However, the idea that stuck most in mind came from Zell.

"I think they're actually called _steal_ Garden. They wanna nick all the hotdogs! But I'll NEVER let that happen!"

_Damn, I'll never remember anything anyone else says now, _she thought, giggling.

Squall was the only one not to join in the debate, having retreated into himself. The group seemed unconcerned about the threat, so he was shouldering that burden alone, but Rinoa was determined not to let him. He hadn't let go of her hand at least, and she placed her other on top so she warmed his hand between hers.

Selphie turned to Xu. "You saw Seifer last, right? Did he say where he was going?"

"No, he didn't say much at all."

"This must have some connection with why he was here, though," Quistis said.

"Actually, I saw him last," Zell pointed out from across the table.

"Yeah, where you apparently 'whooped his butt,'" Irvine put in.

"Damn straight I did!"

"Xu said he was hurt already."

"That had nothin' to do with it!" Zell said, fist up in front of him.

"Maybe he came back to plant a bomb?" Selphie said. "He wants to make the Garden go KA-BOOM!" She balled her hands together then let fly apart, wiggling her fingers.

"I don't know how he got here!" Zell put in. "But he's probably washing people's cars for a living now! He's not exactly qualified for anything, is he?" Zell nodded deeply. "He's more suited to a weed garden than a steel one."

"He was never meant to be a SeeD," Xu said quietly.

"No he wasn't, but he learned a lot he could use for this Steel Garden," Quistis said cautiously, eyeing Xu in case she flared up again, but she just seemed deflated.

"Are we done here?" Xu asked.

Squall nodded. "We'll meet again later today. I want you all to think about how we can investigate and deal with this threat. I'll divide responsibilities between us. Lastly, this information goes no further, for now."

"Why not?" Rinoa asked. "The students should know they're under threat…" she looked around and realized this was one of her non-SeeD idiot moments. "Right?"

"We've only just settled into a routine again, after the war," Xu said. "People are finally forgetting their fear. If we can nullify this 'Steel Garden' quietly, that would be best. Also, they don't know we're aware of them yet, and we could use that to our advantage." She stretched her arms in the air and scraped her chair back. "Now, I'm going back to bed."

Rinoa wasn't quite satisfied with that. Not telling was akin to lying; and since they were trained for war, then why should they not know they were teetering on the edge of one? They were trained to handle it.

As the others filtered out, she turned to Squall. "I don't understand what Xu said. It's better to be open. I mean…"

Her words petered out as she saw the exhaustion on Squall's face, clearer now that he was no longer forced to bolster himself for the others. She was a little pleased, even as she felt sorry for him; there _were_ things he shared only with her. "It can wait until tomorrow. Let's go to bed."

He gave her one of his small smiles and they stood. He continued to hold her hand as they descended the elevator and strolled to the dorms together. She bit her lip indecisively, wondering if she could ask one more question.

Squall sighed and stopped walking at the lip of the dorms corridor. "What else do you want to know?"

"Oh, well, it can wait-"

"Tell me now," he demanded.

"Well… before, when you were talking about what Mason said… what didn't you tell us?"

"What makes you think I left something out?"

"You always tighten your lips when you want to hide something. I don't think the others noticed, not even Quistis the expert Squall observer!" She smiled up at him. "I'm getting better at reading you, Squall Leonheart."

"So what stopped you from asking in front of the others?" Squall said and crossed his arms. "Isn't that what you'd usually do?"

"I suppose so," she nodded. "No, you're right. I think… well, you know I want you to feel you can confide in everyone, Squall. But I'm starting to think that, since I'm your girlfriend and all, well… everyone has things they can only tell their partner, right?"

His eyes fixed on her, brow raised. "So there are things you can only tell me, even though you believe in being open with everyone?"

"Yes, but…" she shook her head. "That's not the point! You told me to ask, and now you're trying to distract me! So what was it you left out?"

"I don't think military top secret information comes under the heading of things to confide to your partner, Rinoa."

She tingled at even the indirect mention of being his girlfriend. They rarely spoke about their relationship, it simply was. Then she shook herself. She realized he had intended to make her feel that way to distract her.

_Two can play at this game, buster,_ she thought.

"Don't you trust me?" She asked, and widened her eyes just _that _much.

_That's it! hold it, _she thought. _Come on! 'Fess up or I'll get all depressed..._

"All right," Squall said. "But you have to keep this to yourself, even if you think the others should know. Okay?"

She nodded.

"According to Mason, someone matching Seifer's description has been spotted with the Galbadian soldiers."

She blinked. Then blinked again. "What? So he _is_ in charge of them? How with them? Did they capture him? Or…"

At least that was what she went to say, before he stopped her with the briefest kiss, and she was so stunned that she stopped talking.

"That's why there's no point telling them until we know more. It just generates questions. But I'm going to look for him myself."

"Squall…"

He looked at her mutely. She could see he was bolstering himself for her to tell him not to go alone. She would, but it was still early morning, and it could wait until daytime. So she only said, "thank you for telling me."

He gave a small nod and loosened his grip on her hand, but she tightened it again. "That wasn't top secret at all, was it? You just didn't want to worry us. I'm not saying you've got narrow shoulders, but you don't need to carry the weight of the world on your own back."

He rubbed his head. "Alright. I need to sleep, Rinoa."

"Okay." She tugged him towards his room.

He held back and frowned at her. "I'm a little old to be walked to my room, don't you think?"

She giggled, and he put his hand to his head in exasperation. "What's so funny?"

"I'm not walking you to your room. I'm staying there," she said, leaning towards him. As his eyes widened she added, "Just to sleep! We don't have to do anything!"

"It's against the rules for cadets of the opposite sex to share a room."

"Screw the rules! You're not a cadet anymore anyway, you're the commander, and I'm a kick-ass sorceress. If anyone argues about it, I'll turn them into a toad."

Squall was too tired to argue further as she led him down the corridor.

**Next Time **We rewind and find out just what Seifer's been up to since Balamb Port. Independent mercenary? Did he get caught by the Galbadians? Or is he part of an anti-Garden organisation? Find out next time!

**A/N **Sorry for the long absence! What do you think of the departure from our main man? Let me know!


	11. Strays

DISCLAIMER I don't own final fantasy 8. I may be a square, but I'm not soft!

**Chapter Ten**

**Strays**

The moment Seifer first realized he was homeless would always stick in his mind. He scrubbed his face with lukewarm water, put his hand under the soap dispenser and punched the plunger in irritation as the stuff oozed out. He scrubbed the disheartening amber-brown goop into his hair and looked up into the mirror. His hair hung in wet strands, about an inch longer than usual, even his face looked somewhat gaunt, his eyes blazing emerald above dark circles.

He remembered passing a beggar when he was young. His back was crooked, head bowed with an unevenly cropped beard sprouting from his chin. His clothes were grey, as though the colour had leeched out of them as it had out of his life. A hat with a penny sized hole in it sat in front of him. Seifer turned away in disdain.

But then the homeless man looked up, and Seifer's eyes widened as he realized he wasn't an old man at all. His skin was weather beaten and leathery, but not wrinkled. His age was indiscernible, but those weren't the eyes of an old man. They were young, but lacked the vitality of human life. They lacked hope.

Seifer hadn't grown a beard. His navy blue shirt was worn, but not holed or faded. But in a flash his eyes looked just like that beggars, bereft of hope and determination. He ducked his head, unable to look at himself. How long would it take before he saw that homeless guy's face reflected back at him?

_I'm homeless, _he thought. _I can't believe it's come to this._

"Dammit." He punched the basin. "Dammit!"

"Hey, Seifer! You alright in there?" Raijin's muffled voice called.

"Yeah," he choked out, hands tightened vicelike on the basin. "I'll be out in a minute."

_How the hell did we come to this?_

* * *

Two months earlier, the trio set out from Balamb Port to Timber, where they could take advantage of the train station to get practically anywhere.

They had the whole train car to themselves, as usual. The trio was intimidating, whether they tried to be or not. People usually cleared out after they entered, and that was fine with Seifer. He slammed his feet up on the table, hands laced behind his head. Fluffball was curled up under his feet and promptly fell asleep, whiskers twitching and paws curling as it dreamt.

"DESTINATION?"

Seifer's glanced up. Fujin's one red eye was targeted on him like a lazar. 

"Deling City is the kind of place that'll have missions for us. We'll go there."

"BUT… LOW PROFILE."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. We need to keep our heads down. But where better to hide than under the enemies nose, right?"

Raijin nodded. "I've heard of that strategy, y' know. Didn't the SeeD units use it in the first Sorceress war?"

"LOST," Fujin pointed out.

"So what?" Seifer stretched his arms and leaned forward, arm rested on his knee. "Where else is there? Fact is, anywhere we go Galbadian soldiers could be looking for us." 

"So what do we do if they find us, y' know?" Raijin said.

"WIMP." 

Seifer covered a laugh with a cough. "We'll kick their butts, of course! They're a bunch of cowards. When I commanded them it was like herding sheep."

This seemed to pacify Fujin and they fell into silence again. Seifer reached his arms behind his head, closed his eyes and exhaled. The rocking of the train was jarring and he envied the creature its ability to sleep anywhere. He was a blend of excitement and nerves, abuzz over a core of determination, itching to get started. He had always hated long journeys, though, and wished he could sleep through it too.

"ESTHAR?"

Seifer creaked his eyes open. _I thought we settled this…_

"Whoa, that'd be so cool, y' know! The skyscrapers! The technology! It's the most advanced place in the world."

"It's also on the other side of the world," Seifer said with a flip of his wrist. "And trains don't run there. But hey, if you wanna walk for a week, be my guest."

"Aw, man," Raijin grumbled.

"Maybe we can go there when things get going," Seifer said. "We're free to travel as we please now, after all. No Garden, no cage. But for now, we need to start building a reputation. And Deling is the place to start." He closed his eyes and settled into the seat again. "Now give it a rest, will ya? I'm shattered."

He missed the days when they concurred with whatever he said, followed him without question. Had they lost their respect for him after he followed the sorceress so far? He was starting to think he needed to rebuild his reputation with them as well as the rest of the world. Rather than rile him, it dragged his spirits down. It was an added weight where he usually got support, and it made him feel lonely.

_At least they came back to Garden to get me, _he thought._ I'll show them they made the right choice. How did they know I was there, anyway? I still don't even know._

He was about to ask when a strange ringing began, climbing in volume. "Hey, you guys hear that?"

"WHAT?"

"…nothing," he replied, suddenly exhausted and unable to open his eyes.

There was thick smoke all around, majestic white spirals weaving through the air, drifting with no volition through the atmosphere. There was no sense of walls. He was grounded yet could see no floor, his feet shrouded in the cloud-like air. Rather than choking his lungs or making his eyes water, it was like a draught of country air.

He knew there was something in that mist, something his heart desired above all else.

He squinted his eyes and looked all around, but nothing drew him in one direction more than another. He stepped forwards and the cloud did not resist him, as easy as walking on a breezeless day.

A shadow flickered to his left, an area grey as a storm cloud. He focused on it, but the shadow was gone. He ran after it.

"Where are you?" a sultry voice echoed.

Seifer stopped and scowled. Somehow, he knew the voice was talking about him.

"My knight, I'm looking for my knight," she continued.

Seifer's heart jolted. "I'm here! Just stay where you are, I'm coming!"

He saw a bare hand trail through the fog ahead of him.

"Hey, stop! Wait!" He called, reaching out…

"Now approaching Timber… I repeat; we are now approaching Timber."

Seifer shook his head. Bright sunlight pieced through the train window. He was hot and his face was beaded with sweat. He sat forwards and rubbed his forehead._ That noise… I remember now. I heard it before I went comatose. Ellone, why are you still messing with me like this?_

"OKAY?"

"Yeah. Just… a strange dream," he said. "I haven't had it in years." He got to his feet and walked to the exit. Fujin and Raijin exchanged a glance.

"Must've been some dream. You were totally out of it, y' know," Raijin said, following him. "We tried waking you before."

"I told you, I was shattered," he said. "It was nothing. Forget about it."

They stepped onto the platform and he shielded his eyes from the late afternoon sun. A train drifted past on the high tracks behind the town, and as it wound away Seifer had the illusion it was headed to Heaven, or maybe into his dream world. The ground was cemented grey with worn spherical etchings, long ago due for maintenance that the town's people had lost the will to give.

They descended the stairs. Seifer peered along the train tracks, and noted with relief that the Timber Owls train was not there. Fluffball darted by and chased a Labrador twice its size away from the pet shop. 

He chuckled. "At least he's got guts."

"Shouldn't we… stop him, y' know?"

"Let the damn thing do what it wants. Here's hoping it doesn't come back," Seifer shrugged, but his eyes lingered where the animals had gone. 

"I'm was kinda starting to like him, y' know."

Fujin crossed her arms. "LOSER."

"Listen up. If Zone or Watts see me, they'll probably let Rinoa know I'm here; or worse, the Galbadian government. Looks like they're not here now, but we'd better pass through quickly. We'll get the first train out of here tomorrow."

"Aren't they a resistance faction, y' know? They won't call the government they're opposing," Raijin said. "And Garden let us go, so…"

"Yeah, well… We're hardly on the Christmas card list. It's better if it doesn't happen. Quit worrying, will ya?"

Truth was, Rinoa was the last person he wanted to see now. Garden was his past; he didn't want it infecting his future. More than that, he had no idea what he would say to her.

A woman ran out of the pet shop. "Georgie? Oh, where did that mutt go this time?"

"I think it went that way," Raijin told her, pointing past the flower patch.

She looked back at the store indecisively. "Could you… get him back for me? I'll pay you."

Seifer's head darted up. "Oh yeah? How much?"

"One hundred G."

_One hundred G just to fetch a dumb dog? Is she insane? _He thought.

"We're busy," Seifer said. "If it means that little to you, you may as well let it go."

He gestured to Fujin and Raijin, and they walked away.

"Two hundred!" She called. "And that's as high as I'll go!"

Seifer smirked. "Guys, get to it. I'll sort out our accommodation for the night."

He laughed to himself as he strolled away. He saw it as a good omen. It wasn't exactly starting as he meant to go on, but if missions fell into their laps so easily, they would be sleeping in beds of money. That wasn't his plan for tonight, though.

Walking through town, he was surprised at how nostalgia washed over him. He crossed the bridge over the rail track, feeling it vibrate under his feet as a train passed underneath. It's horn sent a startled dove flying from its perch on the rail. He had first kissed Rinoa here. It seemed a lifetime ago.

He made his way to the small shop. The keeper came to the hatch with a suspicious scowl. "What do ya want?"

"How's about a dazzling smile to say hello?" When there was no response, he continued. "I just want a tent. How much?"

"One thousand G." The man squinted at him without speaking, then his eyes widened in recognition. "Hey, it's you! You're the guy!"

Seifer startled, and then crossed his arms to hide it. "I'm who now?"

The man leaned forward, shielding his mouth. Seifer got the smile he'd asked for, but decided he was better off with the scowl with more missing than whole teeth, and those that stubbornly remained were as brown as a tealeaf. "You're the one they're looking for. I was asked about you by some soldiers a few days ago."

_Crap._

He reached down and tightened his hand on his gunblade. "I don't know what you mean, old man."

"You were on the TV! On that one broadcast, right? Heard you supported the forest owls."

Seifer blinked. "The TV…?"

"Yeah, you kidnapped the president of Galbadia! Helping the cause for us in the resistance… I know why you say it's not you."

He wasn't really playing dumb; truth was he'd near forgotten it with everything that happened since. Seifer reached into his pocket to get his wallet.

"Let's call it five hundred for the tent," the man offered. "I only put it so high 'cause I thought you were with them. Watch your back, you hear? The Galbadian's are looking for you. There's still a few posted at the entrance."

"Thanks for that," he reached into his pocket and put on his beanie hat, pulling it low to cover his scar. "And hey, you didn't see me, alright? No matter who asks… might be dangerous for them," he improvised.

"Sure," he said.

He walked away, scowling. Rinoa was like a local celebrity here because of the Forest Owls, and he had been seen with them while they dated. He never imagined he would be considered a hero for kidnapping the president. He was sure the rest of the world considered him a monster by now. It was ironic that he was considered a hero in Timber, what with almost destroying the girl they considered the heart of the resistance. It was lucky that the city was behind the times, or the guy would've sold him out.

* * *

They camped outside Timber that night, so they could travel the last haul and hit the city the next day. Raijin caught his foot in the tent and slipped over. Seifer only laughed harder as he became more entangled, the fabric made him look like a blue Halloween ghost. Once that task was over, Raijin offered to catch and cook some fish, whilst Seifer and Fujin got in some weapons practice together. They set into the woodland and hunted the local monsters. Unfortunately, he didn't find anything he could use for an upgrade on his gunblade.

"NAME?" Fujin gestured to the blade.

Seifer held it up to the moonlight to consider it, but the milky light seemed to catch every imperfection rather than hiding them. He shrugged dismissively. "I'll wait until I've upgraded it a bit. Right now it'd only be worth calling 'the blunt dinner knife.' "

Fujin gestured to the funguar that had just fallen to his blade. "DISAGREES."

They returned, and the night was clear and fresh. The efforts with the tent proved a waste of time as they laid their sleeping bags out under the stars. Seifer filled them in on what they had missed.

"So, the soldiers really are after us, y' know."

"CAUTION."

"Like I said, they're a bunch of babies. All we gotta do is take their dummies away and they'll be wailing."

They lay in silence for a time. Seifer laid back on his arms. It was hard to think of impending danger surrounded by the night sounds of crickets, and far off, an owl.

* * *

In Deling City the month wore on, and passed into the next. Every meal of bread and cheese seemed blander that the previous days. The tent, which had only been intended as a temporary measure, became their home. Seifer had known they'd live rough as mercenaries, but had expected to have head quarters to go back to. As it was, they couldn't afford it on their meagre earnings. He felt more like a stray than an independent. With autumn setting in, the weather began to worsen. The rain made him feel like he was trying to sleep inside a drum. They found an abandoned building to squat in, but it was little warmer and Seifer came to resent it more than the tent.

Their excitement waned and novelty wore down as reality set in; they weren't as well prepared for the mercenary life as Seifer had thought. Garden obtained SeeD missions and dished them out, so he hadn't developed skills in acquiring them. Now that the nation was peaceful, mercenaries were rarely required. They didn't come across any of the regional scuffles he'd imagined them jumping into. Word was even Garden wasn't getting a lot of action.

At Garden, he'd sneered at being bossed around. But at least he had expected decent missions due to his talent. As a mercenary, he ironically had less freedom. They had to take any mission that came up, which included security and escort at best, and pest control at worst. They were hired to exterminate a group of fastitocalons, which were attacking tourists at the beach, then a flock of cockatrice that had taken to destroying crops.

One night, Raijin wrote out a blueprint for fliers, which Seifer read over his shoulder. "When you mention 'will take missions anywhere,' you missed out 'because we're desperate losers.' " He rocked back on his heals and rubbed his head. "But I'm sure they'll get that message anyway. We're more like a pack of strays than mercenaries."

"REALISTIC."

Seifer heaved a sigh, reached forward and balled the paper in his fist before throwing it aside.

"Hey," Raijin leaned forward but could only watch. "What ya doing, Seifer! It took me hours to write that."

"Yeah, and that's how long it'll take someone on the street to screw it up," he said. "Think of it as an advance preview of what's to come."

"PLAN?"

"Yeah," Seifer lied. Couldn't have the troops losing faith now.

In the public toilets, he splashed cold water on his face and looked into the mirror again. He was relieved to see only himself again, steely determination back in his emerald eyes. _We won't meet the same fate as that damn beggar. We won't live on the streets like a dog. I'll do what I have to do, _he thought.

**A/N **Sorry for the long wait (again, I know.) I hope this chapter doesn't ramble on too much…? Also sorry if there are any mistakes, I had to rush my final read through!

**Next Time** The trio find a powerful potential client, but just what are his intentions for the mercenary group?


	12. A Rookie Mistake

**DISCLAIMER** Anyone who really thinks I own Final Fantasy 8 is an idiot. Seriously.

**Chapter Eleven**

**A Rookie Mistake**

The wooden sign swung disconcertingly loose over the door, as though warding off rather than welcoming visitors. It appeared to say 'weapon shod,' as the black iron 'p' hung upside down. "APPROPRIATE," Fujin said.

"Huh?" Raijin scratched his head.

"SHODDY."

"I don't get it, y' know…"

Fujin sighed. _IDIOT._

This part of Deling City was little more than a slum. She knew it well; she grew up there. It had taken a lot of planning and effort to leave; she had even lost her eye. That night, she had promised herself she would never return, let alone live there again. It came down to the fact that she had vowed to do anything for her posse, and that out weighed her promise to herself. No weak sentiment would get in the way of what was best for them, and she certainly wasn't going to whinge about it to Seifer. Besides, they would be out soon, one way or another. With a wary glance at the sign, she pushed the door open. Paint sloughed off it like a snake shedding its skin.

"Yo, Seif-!" Raijin hollered, the chime of the entry bell drowned out by his voice. Fujin elbowed him mid-word and kicked the door shut behind them.

"SIMON," she amended to the code name with an icy look at Raijin. "HERE?"

Seifer came out of the back room and scowled at them, a black smudge on his cheek and white vest top. "What?" He barked.

Fujin didn't take his mood personally. He had been consistently grumpy since he took the smithy job three weeks ago. Still, she fortified herself with a deep breath. This conversation wasn't going to go well. "MISSION."

His face brightened, and as though it tipped a scale, Fujin's spirit sank with it. "Cool, I'll get my coat."

"No, don't!" Raijin waved his hands in the air in fast-motion. "They only need the two of us, y' know. Like, it sounds kind of boring anyway, y' know!"

Seifer crossed his arms, mouth pinched in suspicion. "Why? What is it?"

"ESCORT," she said before Raijin could make the situation any worse. Raijin always used his catchphrase profusely when he was nervous. She wished she came in alone- or, better yet, left a note so he couldn't argue. She should have known he'd want to come.

"What's wrong with that? I thought you were gonna say we had to pick daisies or something." Seifer reached around the counter to get his jacket; a new black one, since they decided his trademark trench coat was too distinctive.

"KID," Fujin improvised. She knew he hated children, not that she was a fan herself.

He sneered, but put on his jacket.

"Hey, Simon!" A voice boomed from the back room. "Get your ass back in here. The owner of the machete will be back within the hour!"

"I'm coming with you guys." Seifer grumbled stubbornly, then glared over his shoulder. "That guy's got some nerve. Antagonizing me in a smithy full of weapons. I'll take that damn machete and make sushi out of him!"

"Yo, Sei. It's just… we need money, y' know? And, y' know, if ya get fired…"

"What, you want me to use the machete on you instead? Since when can you come and go from the fishing troupe as you please?"

"They owed me a few days off, y' know," Raijin lied, eyes downcast.

Seifer stared at them piercingly. Fujin returned his gaze blandly whilst Raijin feigned interest in a mounted sword. Finally, eyes flashing, Seifer shrugged off the jacket.

"Whatever," he grumbled as he headed to the back room. "Hope the kid pukes on you…"

"BYE," she said, guilt spearing through her.

"He looked angry, y' know…" Raijin whispered as they left the shop.

"NO," she amended; surprised that Raijin hadn't seen it. "REJECTED."

Raijin frowned, then waved his hand in front of his nose. "Nah, Seifer's Seifer, y' know? At least he brought it, right?"

"RAGE." She kicked Raijin's shin the moment the door shut on its chiming bell.

"OWWW!" Raijin hopped on the spot. "Hey, what was that for? He doesn't have a clue, y' know!"

"NON-CHALANT? THAT?"

Truth was, Raijin's complete lack of tact didn't concern her. If their trip went to plan, they would have to tell Seifer about it soon enough anyway. She hated lying, but her strongest vow of all was to always do her best for Seifer. Ever since their problems with the sorceress, she had modified that vow to include doing what was right for him, even if he didn't know or realize it at the time. Even if it conflicted with what he wanted. She couldn't just follow him as she used to, sometimes she had to make her own choices.

"Hey, I know we're doing this to help him, but… he's gonna be even _more_ pissed off when he finds out we lied, y' know?" His colour paled. "And he'll kill us when he finds out what we're doing! I wanted to live longer, y' know."

"STILL," Fujin put a hand to her heart. "RIGHT."

They walked out of Deling City.

* * *

Seifer stood awkwardly in the street and adjusted his black beanie to conceal the scar on his forehead. His untidy hair spiked out at the back. Vanity kept him from asking Fujin to cut it; better long and unruly than cropped diagonally. He was far too lazy to dye it, even though it would better conceal his identity than the hat or clothes did.

_Maybe part of me _wants _to be found,_ he thought, scowling down at the fliers in his hand. _My biggest risk here is paper cuts. It's so boring._

Fluffball trotted up and sat at his feet; he had given up shooing it away, it just came back like a bad gil. It kept its own timetable, trotting off sometimes for days, probably to hunt, since Seifer was damned if he would spend a pittance of their poor finances to feed it.

A pair of girls walked past, a tall blonde and short red head. Fluffball, who obviously detected fuss potential, frolicked into their path and pushed into the blonde's legs. She nearly tripped, and her friend laughed as she knelt down to pet him. Fluffball enjoyed the attention, craning his head up as she scratched under his chin.

"It's so cute," she cooed, looking up at Seifer. "What is it?"

He shrugged broadly. "A dog."

The girl raised an eyebrow. "Really? What breed is it?"

"An annoying one."

The girl stood, frowning a little. At the same moment, Seifer registered that she was hot, and his latent inner charm rose to the surface. "I'm not sure, to be honest. It was homeless, so I took it in."

As the girls looked at each other and made "aww" sounds, Seifer smirked down at Fluffball. _You know, you might actually be handy to have around when I get back on the dating circuit._

He held out a pair of fliers to the girls. "Well, here's my number if you need any…" he paused and raised his eyebrows, "… Services."

The blonde giggled as the red head perused the flier.

Handing out fliers was easily the most humiliating thing he'd done in his life, but he had to admit that, as fliers went, they were pretty cool. Fujin, the most creative of the trio, had designed and printed them. He especially liked the logo she created; their three weapons together, as a symbol of their dexterity and diversity. Raijin had set up a website, so they could receive clients by e-mail and telephone. They had plastered the damn things all over the town.

_And still, no decent missions,_ he thought.

"Well, life as a mercenary must be exciting," the girl said.

_Yeah, there was the old lady who wanted me to weed her garden. Then the escort mission, where we may as well have been herding a cow for all the danger there was._

"I live by my own rules, take every day as it comes," he said with a casual shrug.

"That sounds great!" She smiled and held the flier up between manicured nails. "Well, I'll be in touch."

He watched as they walked away, their heads together like a pair of hens clucking at each other.

_I'll be damned if I'll do all the crap jobs while they're off on their mission,_ he thought, and headed home for dinner. Their new place was located on the out skirts of town. "Couldn't exactly invite her back to _this_ place just yet, could I?" He said conversationally to the mutt as he opened the door.

Their headquarters was the kind of place he would have sneered at in younger life. It was little more than a shed, complete with water leaks so old there was a residue of mould at the centre of them. There was only one single bed, which had a dodgy plank at the end of it and creaked ominously as Fluffball jumped onto it. The boys had offered it to Fujin, out of distaste more than gallantry, whilst they each had a hard mattress on the floor. A spring poked threateningly through the end of Seifer's; one false move during the night and he'd awaken with an impaled foot. But it beat the scathed wood floor, or living in the tent, so he put up with it.

Seifer had spotted the job advert in the weapon shop window whilst gazing longingly at an upgrade he couldn't afford. He ignored it at first, disdaining working on other people's weapons. To him, it was like cleaning their shoes for them. But finally he realized it was the best option for the posse, if they were ever to have a roof that wasn't made of polyester over their heads again. The shop owner was dubious about hiring him, until Seifer showed his upgrading skills in the smithy.

The jobs sole consolation was free access to upgrade his gunblade, and occasionally he adjusted Fujin's missile blade as well. But he resented every moment wasted in the dingy, baking hot smithy, and usually left the moment his shift was over. He told himself it was only a temporary measure. He'd can the job in as soon as their mercenary business took off; he wasn't about to lose his aspirations and become a public servant forever.

Raijin joined the local fishing troop, and Seifer slightly resented how much he enjoyed it. Fujin, unable to work due to her appearance and manner of speech, tracked mission prospects. She did a majority of the solo missions, whilst providing Seifer with a dismal list of prospects for the group. He would have felt sorry for her, especially when she weeded that old woman's garden, if he hadn't lowered his own standards most of all.

Fujin and Raijin never complained about their unprivileged situation, but he sensed they lacked the faith they'd once had in him, even though they never acted like it. He was beginning to agree that this had all been a terrible idea. He knew this was the kind of thing that must be built up slowly, but he was beginning to feel it was not building up at all. The timetable exhausted him, though he'd never admit it.

"So, it's just you and me, Fluffball." He hit the flashing answer message button en route to the small kitchen, where he downed orange juice from the carton and threw it in the general direction of the bin, whilst surveying the disparaging array of leftovers in the mini-fridge."Raijin's latest catch or beans on toast? As glamorous as it gets."

"This is Darion Webster's secretary with a message for Ryan. Mr Webster is interested in doing business with you. Please call back on seven nine eight, six two four. Many thanks."

"Darion Webster, eh? Why does that name sound familiar?" He noticed Raijin had left fresh fish for him, and tossed them in the pan. "Damn, looks like drinks will be on me next weekend."

Fluffball gazed up at him, head tilted and ears pricked up.

Seifer and Raijin had set up a bet- whoever secured the least clients in a fortnight would have to buy the posses drinks for a night; the local mercenary bar wasn't the type to check ID cards.

"I'm sick of freaking fish," he grumbled by way of explanation as he removed them from the pan and threw one to Fluffball. "Don't think this means you'll get any more freebies."

The creature was too busy eating to pay attention, and Seifer ate quickly as well. The same old food was far from appetising, but he was hungry enough to eat a full-grown chocobo.

"Hopefully the kid has puked on them by now," he muttered. "Hell, maybe they've done a runner_._ They sure as hell didn't want me to come."

He lay across the stable end of the bed, since they didn't have either the space or cash for a chair. He reached over for the phone and called Darion Webster back, but was directed straight to voicemail. He threw the phone back on the hook disgustedly.

He sat up and rolled his shoulders. He felt restless, despite his exhaustion. He thought back to his fight with chicken wuss a few months ago, and how much the kid had managed to progress. He decided training would do him some good. Ignoring a whine from Fluffball, he stood and attached his gunblade to his belt. He grabbed his black jacket on his way out, but before the door even shut, the phone rang. He paused and debated ignoring it, before returning with a heart felt sigh.

_A wanted mercenaries work is never done,_ he thought.

"Yeah?"

"Hello," a girl said, and he thought it was the girl he had met earlier, until she added, "you are being redirected to Darion Webster's office."

"What?" Seifer said, but was speaking to on-hold music. He sat down and rubbed his head.

_What's the bloody point in getting someone else to make your calls and then putting them on hold with this crappy elevator music? _He thought. _Or have they been trying to get through all day? Are they desperate or what? I hate the guy and I haven't even spoken to him yet. That's quick, even for me!_

"Darion Webster."

"I'm a fan of the more conventional 'hello,' myself," Seifer replied, and figured the guy had to be full of himself to answer the phone with his own name.

The man laughed heartily, and something about it made Seifer's skin crawl. "I like your style… Ryan, was it?"

"No," Seifer replied.

"Oh?"

"I'm the guy in charge, so business goes through me."

"I see," Darion replied. "If your troops away, when can you start?"

"Day after tomorrow."

"Great. Well, it's a sensitive matter; I'll only discuss it in person. You're Deling based, correct? I'll meet you in two hours at the Galbadia Hotel."

_What an arrogant twat. He didn't even make it a question,_ he thought, and then sat up. _Most arrogant guys have money. And sensitive sounds exploitable._

Seifer's teeth ground together so hard he'd be surprised if Webster didn't hear it. "That's fine."

"Great," he said. "I stand out from the crowd, you won't miss me."

The line went dead.

"God damn it!" Seifer slammed the phone down. "What a jack ass!"

He stomped out, and debated standing him up to teach him a lesson. But he needed the cash, so maybe he'd settle for exploiting the hell out of him. At least he had time to train a bit first.

There was a hill over looking the town, which had become Seifer's regular training area. It was a plain field with a few trees dotted around, and was perfect since- despite being only a short walk away- it was always deserted. The world faded away while he trained; it was just him and his gunblade, nothing else existed and nothing else mattered. The air was cooling as the sun abandoned the sky to the night, but streamed pastel pink and lilac clouds in farewell.

As darkness deepened, Deling City made a more fantastical view. The bright lights were attractive, signifying a fun nightlife, which in reality was a town full of drug addicts and danger to the average person.

He unsheathed his gunblade and swung it through the air experimentally. He was building muscle with the heavier blade, but felt he was losing rather than gaining skill. Its movements were sluggish and ungainly in comparison to Hyperion. He missed the perfect balance and form of his old blade. He hated the thought of it being in someone else's hands, especially if those hands were Mason's, while he made do with his crappy reject weapon.

"Dammit!" The blade over balanced again, thudding into the mud. He crouched down and rubbed his gloved hands together. It was time to build up some new moves; his back catalogue was getting dated. Oddly, he felt as though there was a new move waiting for him, pre-formed, and all he had to do was figure it out by doing it. However, there was some nameless resistance in the way of discovery, something he had to get past. He thought having a sparring buddy might help, and he'd ask Raijin when he returned.

_It's not the same as sparring with another gunblader, though, _he thought with a sigh.

As much as he missed Hyperion, he missed the clash of the blade against the Lionheart. He supposed Squall could still spar with Mason, at least, and he still had his own blade.

_I can almost feel it,_ his hand tightened on the handle. _Squall's getting way ahead of me!_

He yelled and speared the gunblade into the earth. The old rivalry was a permanent resident in his mind, despite the fact that he was unlikely to ever see Squall again. More, he knew the feeling remained in Squall, too, whether the apathetic guy would admit it or not.

He tugged the blade free and swung it. _I never realized how much I developed through Squall, and vice versa._ He snickered. _With such a lame sparring partner, maybe Squall isn't developing so much after all. Hyperion was tailored for me, after all. In Mason's hands it's like wielding a chicken wing against Ifrit._

He figured he had time to practice a few moves before he met Webster. He raised his hand to draw fire magic- and froze, staring at his hand. He flashed back to when he purchased the Firaga's from a magic shop; called _Webster's Magic Supplies._

_That's it!_ He thought, _I'm sure of it!_

Darion Webster had revolutionised how magic was distributed. He specialised in discovering draw points for rare magic. His assistants then drew it out, and sold it on. It was a great way for non-travellers to obtain rare magic, not to mention that the draw point locations were kept secret. Webster's Magic had grown into an enterprise; even Garden had a standing order with them.

_That guy's like a gold mine,_ he thought. _We've hit the jackpot. But why the Hell would an entrepreneur want to hire an unheard of bunch of mercenaries? Is it a fake?_

Eager to solve the mystery, he figured it must be about time to meet Webster. He turned towards town- and spotted a line of figures approaching him.

_I'd recognize those dorky helmets anywhere,_ he thought. _Galbadian's! Why now? Just after Fu and Rai left… have they been tracking me?_

"You're just in time," he grinned and wiped sweat from his brow. "I was just thinking I could use a training buddy. But 'fraid I've got engagements to keep, so I'll have to keep it short."

Seifer scanned left and then right. The line of soldiers surrounded him; he counted a dozen to one. The soldier in front snickered strangely.

Seifer scowled. His mind skipped back to the phone call with Webster, where he had as good as told him he was alone. It seemed glaringly obvious why an entrepreneur would be interested in him now- to collect the Galbadian Governments price over his head.

_Dammit,_ he thought, _a rookie mistake._

**A/N** Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter online; curse real life for getting in the way! I hope the re-cap was useful. **Please review** and let me know what you think of the latest developments as I love reading your reviews!


	13. The Clash of Traitors

**Chapter 12**

**The Clash of Traitors**

"You can do this the easy way, or the hard way," the Galbadian soldier stated, standing ahead of his group. "Either way, you're coming with us."

"Is that so?" Seifer lifted his gunblade, vertical to his face and grinned. "The hard way's much more fun!"

He ran forward, and the gunblade flamed to life as he gashed the leader, who screamed as he fell to the mud. Just like that, the battle was upon him. A soldier jumped over his fallen comrade, sword raised. Seifer spun and swept the blade full circle as he did so, gaining momentum as it arched through the air and slashed downwards. The Galbadian behind him fell along with the one ahead of him, mouth slack with shock that his advantage had proved worthless. Metal sparked on metal. From afar, it may have looked as dazzling as a fireworks display, but in the midst of the melee, the flash of the gunblade revealed only the terrifying gleam in Seifer's eyes to his opponents.

He felt truly alive for the first time in a long time. The electrifying pulse of battle beat through his veins. He dodged the thrust swords, swept them away like cobwebs. The soldiers fell, but a second wave immediately crested the hilltop. He stabbed, slashed and kicked in a chaotic dance. But the bulky revolver gunblade was too often a step out of sync, a beat off the song, the trigger a second too soon like a dance partner less experienced than he, and it only got worse as his muscles burned and sweat dripped into his eyes. But the show must go on, and the rest of the cast weren't giving him the option of leaving the stage.

"Lambs to the slaughter," he called as yet more soldiers closed in. He'd barely made any ground, his position leaving him as vulnerable as a duck in a pond. "I'd go home if I were you. Not all of you will live to tell the tale of how I whooped your butts."

They advanced undeterred, and he wasn't surprised. He was the infamous Seifer Almasy, after all. Whoever killed him was likely promised a promotion. To him, however, they were little more than wind up toy soldiers, throwing their lives on the line for someone else's wants and desires. As such, they marched to a predictable pace; his free mind could see through their conformed fighting style easily. But that didn't mean they had no advantage. His shirt was soaked through with sweat. He was tiring, and they could win out through sheer numbers. At least two-dozen lay at his feet, and still more swarmed forward.

_My best chance is… the new move?_

He raised his left hand and fire exploded around the soldiers, searing to the eye against the night. He hesitated, and leapt, so fast the air stung his face. At the peak of the jump, he slashed a cross in the air. It was echoed on the ground, an X marks the spot encompassing all his enemies. The area was consumed in a fiery vortex. He landed safely out of range. His feet slipped on the mud, and he stabbed his gunblade into the earth before falling to one knee as breath tore in and out of his lungs. Head down, he glared up with just his eyes. The soldiers toppled before him like pins in a bowling alley, except one, who swayed on his feet before falling.

"Strike," Seifer smirked. "Well, don't say I didn't warn you. If any of you can still speak, that is."

But frustration brewed. He felt cowardly for taking the safe option with bloodfest, rather than trying the new move. He wondered if he was losing his edge. But he didn't have time to wonder about that, or even to savour his victory. More soldiers could arrive at any moment. Gripping the handle for balance, he hauled himself to his feet; and was assaulted by vertigo. The scene before him merged with another in his mind. White uniformed bodies laid still. A shore line, blood a red mistake in the sand, as out of place there as the image was in his head…

"Snap out of it!" He yelled at himself fiercely. He felt sick to his stomach. The hilltop seemed to sway beneath his feet. He ignored it, and stumbled back towards Deling City, thankful that he was going down rather than up hill.

_I'll have to escape Deling City now. I'll rent a car and drive away… Raijin. Fujin. I guess there'll be no goodbyes this time._

He heard a pang, like a ruler reverberating against a desk. He jumped, and then scowled to cover his discomfiture. Was that a blue flash around him, or was he spacing out more than he thought? He shook his head in an attempt to clear it, like a dog shaking rain from its fur.

A whisper in the grass, and he spun to meet the Galbadian's sword in a flash of sparks. "You should've stayed down, idiot." He gritted his teeth and started to flip the sword away, but the Galbadian suddenly fell to the earth. The sweep overbalanced and he fell to his knees. Again. It was starting to piss him off.

"Whoops," an all too familiar voice said. "Sorry, Sei. Was trying to help, y' know?"

Seifer glared up at his would be saviour, who grinned broadly. He heard twinkling like a wind chime, and green sparks attested to the Curaga spell cast on him, and Fujin's presence. She had a habit of throwing magic around as much as her missile blade in a battle. He got to his feet and brushed of his trousers, feeling less queasy. Curaga was like a drug, or an intensified hit of caffeine. It made the body believe it was healed when, in reality, it was still exhausted. He'd suffer for it later, but a nap didn't seem like an option right now.

"The protect spell was unnecessary," he grumbled to her stiff figure as she appeared beside Raijin. She didn't speak, but her firm gaze was enough to suggest she thought otherwise.

"Sorry we're late, y' know."

"There was no need to hurry back on my account." Seifer shrugged, his words only belied by the huffing of breath between them. "Why the hell are you back so early? Don't tell me your little client died?"

"LATER," Fujin said as she threw her missile blade. They had tarried too long; the reinforcements were already trickling in around them. Not one, but three of the figures fell as Fujin's weapon boomeranged back to her out stretched hand.

Two vehicles exited Deling City and swerved on to the grass before them, an elongated black limo, and a military truck, the beams of their headlights crossing. More soldiers poured out of the truck, but rather than attacking, they formed a defensive circle around the limo as the door opened.

"Stop!" A yell rent the air from the passenger, and all of the soldiers froze instantly.

Seifer noted a white flag atop the limo's antenna. Suddenly, a line from the phone call that afternoon came to Seifer's mind; _"I stand out from the crowd. You won't miss me."_

He hadn't been wrong. As he stepped in front of the headlights as though it were his personal spotlight, he was prominent amongst the protective cluster of Galbadian's, and it wasn't just the expensive suit. If anything, the helmeted soldiers made him appear short amongst them, but it was not so much his size as his presence that made him remarkable. In the midst of the toy soldiers, Darion Webster carried a mind and will all his own. When he spoke, his sense of self importance and power carried in his voice.

"Hello, Simon."

Seifer frowned. There had been the slightest pause between the syllables of his name. "Don't you usually say 'Darion Webster' and skip the greetings?"

"Well, you did say you preferred it," Darion said.

"While we're talking courtesies, it might've been nice if you'd mentioned earlier that you're working for a government that wants me dead."

Darion boomed a laugh. "Things are not what they seem. It wasn't my intention that you should be captured like this."

"Thing about swords, they're made to hurt people." Though he smirked as he surveyed himself. His arm throbbed; he'd taken a bruising hit and hadn't even felt it in the heat of battle. That often happened to him in the fray, the frenzy made him only take note of an injury when the adrenaline began to desert him. But otherwise, he didn't have a scratch to show for the battle.

Darion's surveying regard proved this hadn't escaped his attention, either. "I must say, I'm impressed with how you dealt with these soldiers." He looked down at the battlefield. "Very impressed."

Seifer followed his gaze to the twitching bodies, and this time that was all they were. No sick feeling came to his stomach. He didn't understand why he'd gotten so queasy over it, and wondered if he was going soft. He frowned and looked closer at one of the fallen soldiers. There was a carefully sewn, italicised DW in black on the uniforms lapel, subtle against the darker green of the Galbadian uniforms, the design only marred by the spot of dried blood upon it. Things began to click into place.

"So, these soldiers betrayed the government to work for you, eh?" he raised his arms in a broad shrug. "I'm a traitor, too. Can't we all be traitor pals?"

Raijin snickered, though Fujin was as stern as ever.

"So why capture me when I was meeting you anyway? You could have saved yourself some medical bills."

"As I said, this wasn't my intent." He turned to the soldier beside him. "What's the meaning of this?" Darion's voice carried a threat, creating a tangible nervous energy in the soldiers.

"We thought these were your orders, sir," a sheepish Galbadian said.

"I see," Darion sighed. "Yes, that sounds just like him. Forgive me, Simon. My second in command can be a little hot headed."

_A little hot headed?_ He thought. _Two-dozen soldiers lie at his feet, and that's just a little hot headed? This guy's unbelievable. How many soldiers have turned to his side?_

Perhaps Darion saw the incredulous look on his face. "I have much to explain," he admitted. "And perhaps we've already caused too much commotion too close to the city. I'll have some men clean this up. Come with me to my mansion and I'll make up for this harsh treatment."

"I'm guessing this isn't supposed to be voluntary?" Seifer shrugged. "You know, you could've just said please and saved everyone a lot of hassle."

Darion laughed. "Yes, I suppose that's true. Shall we?"

* * *

They sat in the limo as it glided along the road. Seifer may have agreed to go, but that in no way meant he trusted the man. He studied the window. The glass was darkened, so that he couldn't see outside. He didn't like that; this limo was designed to hide the destination from its passenger, rather than vice-versa, like ordinary models did. There was bound to be hidden cameras and microphones as well. Perhaps Darion sat in the front only to give them the illusion of privacy, whilst he held headphones to his ears and listened to every word. Seifer sat back and the leather seat squeaked. He preferred the luxury limo to a blindfold any day.

"If you have to be kidnapped, this is the way to do it," Seifer said. He roamed in the mini bar, though didn't detect any equipment in there, and pulled out a shot glass and a bottle of whiskey.

"POISON," Fujin warned. She had been reluctant to come, until Seifer had told her he would go with Darion alone otherwise. He wasn't a believer that curiosity killed the cat; if anything it spiced things up.

"Yeah, maybe he wanted to avoid losing more soldiers. Seifer would've gone through them all, even if we didn't come back." Raijin said proudly, nodding deeply. He jumped as Seifer downed the shot.

"Seems a bit redundant to do that now," he said, wiping his mouth with a smirk as the whiskey warmed him. It was nice to know he could still shock his posse. "So, why did you come back so early?"

"SOLDIERS."

"Yeah, they passed us on the road. We figured they were after you, y' know, so we followed them back. Just to be safe. Had some fights on the way, too, y' know. I think I got more experience!" Raijin flexed his arm to admire his muscles, and then reached for the whiskey bottle. "Give me some too, y' know?"

Seifer swung it out of his reach. "A minute ago, you thought it was poisoned."

"C'mon Seifer, a victory sip?"

"Victory? For a few experience points?" He snickered and poured himself a second shot. "Don't forget our bet. If anything, you've lost. Drinks are gonna be on you next time."

"Wait a minute! I was winning the bet!" Raijin paused, then jumped in his seat. "I remember that guy now, I'm the one who approached him. I'm the one who got us this guy!"

"Well I arranged it, so it counts as mine. What do you think, Fu?"

"SEIFER'S."

"Presuming he gives us a good enough offer, of course. We don't hire cheap," Seifer said, for the sake of Darion's probable spying.

_And presuming I'm right, and he's not taking me to hang for the government. If that's the case, I'll let Raijin take responsibility._

"Fine, I'll buy next time," Raijin grumbled, eyes downcast, then looked up with a glimmer of hope. "So can I have one?"

Seifer got out a second glass, and as Raijin reached for it, passed it to Fujin. "You need to keep a clear head."

"But… you guys are…"

"LIGHT WEIGHT."

"You gotta admit it, Rai. For a big guy, you can't take your drink." He pointed to himself. "We can."

Raijin sighed but said nothing.

Seifer laughed at him, as he and Fujin chinked glasses and downed his glasses. Either she had come to trust him again, or had decided she would die with him, neither thought was comfortable. Yet it led to a worse realization. When escaping the soldiers, he hadn't even considered reuniting with his posse. It had been his idea to predetermine a meeting place in another town, in case they were ever split up, yet it never occurred to him to go there, and he couldn't say why. Luckily, there were plenty of distractions to keep him from considering it too deeply.

"So, when you followed the soldiers, what happened to the client?" He asked, cowardly returning to their previous line of conversation.

Raijin's face clouded in confusion as Fujin said, "DITCHED."

"Huh," Seifer said. "Is it really okay to lose a client mid-mission?"

She met Seifer's eyes. Was it just his imagination or was there something sad in them? "MORE IMPORTANT."

He studied his posse as intently as he'd surveyed the limo. Neither of them looked at him, Raijin fiddling with his laces while Fujin stared straight ahead. _There's something off with those two tonight._ _Were they really gonna leave, and had a change of heart? Or do they still not trust that I know what I'm doing here? I don't get it, but if I pour enough booze down his throat, Raijin will blab later._

He feigned nonchalance in a shrug. "You needn't have come back, I could've dealt with it on my own." He glanced at Raijin. "You can have a drink later. I have a feeling we'll have something to celebrate."

"Alright, y' know," Raijin grinned.

Seifer smirked back, and re-crossed his ankles on the opposite seat as his leg started to go numb, though the stiffness of his posture belied the carefree façade. If the others noticed they didn't say anything.

He drummed the shot glass on the cushiony armrest, and realized he couldn't really blame them for being uncomfortable. He'd be the first to admit he had no idea what was going on, but if Darion wanted him dead, he'd already had his chance. He couldn't quite believe some 'second in command' had sent Darion's soldiers after him, but they hadn't attacked to kill, more to capture.

_There are mercenaries twiddling their thumbs all over the place at the moment,_ he thought._ What's more, I don't think this limo is just to camouflage our surroundings. He's trying to woo us with how wealthy he is. He must have been tracking us, and knows how poorly we're doing. So, either he doesn't expect us to like his proposal, or he's desperate for our help. Why set this up for us?_

He shook his head at his own thoughts._ No, not us. Me. He targeted me while Fujin and Raijin were away. The way he said my fake name… Does he know who I am?_

A chill went down his spine, and he poured himself one more shot before putting the bottle away._ Calm down. With my talents, I make a good proposition. I'm the only gunblader mercenary outside of Garden. So, he wants a gunblader with loose morals? This is probably the gig I've been waiting for all along. This could be our ticket to the life I promised us._

* * *

Black hair was fanned over his pillows, and Squall crept out of his own room like a teenager breaking curfew. He knew that, if Rinoa woke, she'd want to come with him, or just try to stop him. He couldn't let her do either. If she thought he couldn't see the emotional scars Seifer had left on her, she was wrong. He didn't want her, or the others, involved this time.

Luckily, there was a key piece of information she'd failed to ask about after last nights meeting. She hadn't asked where Seifer had been spotted with the Galbadian's, according to Mason's tip; so she couldn't follow him to Deling City.

He wondered if the rumours about Steel Garden were just a pretence for him to go after his old rival, a good excuse to find out what had become of him, whether he was involved in the organisation or not. And to get some answers.

And, perhaps, a small part of him just wanted revenge.

**A/N** Blimey O'Riley! That chapter took forever, I'm not used to battle scenes so it was a tough one. I hope I pulled it off! **Please review** if you've got any thoughts on what worked and what didn't. Updated late as usual, I know, but good news is the next one won't be long, as most of it's already written due to a last minute decision to split this chapter. Plus, there's some exciting stuff coming up, which always motivates me to get going. Hope you keep reading!

**Next time** Darion Webster divulges his plans for Seifer, but will the entrepreneurs plans propel him to new heights, or doom him?


	14. The Royal Crown

**Chapter Thirteen**

**The Royal Crown**

Darion ensconced himself in a chair and gestured for them to sit down, but the sweep of his arm seemed designed to encompass the room's opulent décor rather than the sofa. They had been led into the mansion and down a hallway to the living room. The red curtains were stitched with gold designs, the carpet patterned, the mahogany table unblemished. Overall, it said more of needless grandeur than taste.

_He may as well have just hung up a gold embossed sign reading 'I'm rich' and be done with it,_ Seifer thought with a sneer.

He marched to the sofa, plonked himself down on the cushioned seat and crossed his mud stained boots on the coffee table, wondering if Darion would have it burned and replaced when he left. Fujin perched stiffly beside him, Raijin reclining languidly at the other end, legs draped over the armrest.

"So, what do you want with us?" Seifer asked, crossing his arms.

"You seem to like getting straight to the point, Mr Almasy," Darion said. "I'll keep that in mind."

Seifer's heartbeat quickened, but the trio remained still; even Raijin had the sense not to react, leaving it to him to decide whether to remain Simon the mercenary or Seifer the traitor.

"Almasy?" He tilted his head as though considering. "Can't say I know anyone by that name, but if I did I'm sure he'd be a handsome devil." There was no use in playing games of denial; if Darion knew, he knew. As though to belie his calm thoughts, his hand flexed to his weapon, where it leaned against the sofa arm, but he forcefully trailed his fingers over and away from the hilt.

Five soldiers only backed Darion now. Seifer couldn't decide if he was glad to remain armed, or angry at being underestimated. He could easily cut off Darion Webster's smug head before they could so much as twitch a finger.

Darion's eyes followed Seifer's hand to the gunblade, but he looked as calm as ever. "Do you think you'll gain anything by killing me?"

"Sure. It'd be pretty damn fun."

"This mansion is riddled with soldiers. Were anything to happen to me…"

"They'd loot the place while I strolled out of here whistling an upbeat jaunt."

"Why so certain?" Darion leaned forward intently.

"They're traitors. They're in it for the paycheck. They're no more loyal to you than they were to Galbadia."

The soldier's in question didn't so much as flinch at that. _They're certainly well trained little puppets,_ he thought. _Maybe they would try to kill me if I harmed Webster after all._

Darion laughed, seeming to read Seifer's thoughts. "There's more to our allegiance than money. But I can tell you more about that later."

"Can't wait, really." Seifer feigned a yawn. "So, how do you know who I am?"

"I have your personal file from Balamb Garden, Seifer Almasy. It wasn't hard to track the three of you down. I also have background files for your comrades, who now call themselves Raijin and Fujin."

Garden's database was heavily protected. Seifer opened his mouth to ask how he got hold of their Garden files, but as he saw Raijin jolt out of the corner of his eye, the words that came out were, "what do you mean _now_?"

Raijin began to talk, but Fujin kicked him. "LATER."

Seifer scowled. _What the hell's going on here?_

He looked askance at Fujin.

"LATER."

He nodded and noted Darion's avid gaze, bringing himself back to the moment._ This is a power play. He's saying he knows everything about us; more than we know of each other, even. He wants me off guard_

He wasn't about to admit it had worked.

"Fine, you've done your research on us. Do you want a gold star?"

Darion chuckled. "I've got all the gold I need."

"And all the soldiers you need too, right? So what do you want with us? Why go to the trouble of tracking us down?"

"Well, there's one thing I don't have; Garden trained soldiers."

Seifer snickered. "What makes you think we'll work for you? I'm no dog to run from one garden to be fenced in another."

"That's not what I propose. I ask for a partnership. After all, we have similar objectives."

Seifer snorted, sincerely doubting it. Then he remembered something. "You mentioned a second in command earlier. How many partners do you want?"

Darion ignored him, drumming his fingers on the cushioned armrest. "I'd like to test your skills myself before I lay out the details of my offer."

_And what were those soldiers earlier, a walk in the park?_

He stood up, shrugging. "I'm done with tests. We're out of here."

He didn't need to look to know Fujin and Raijin fell into step behind him.

"There's a certain item I'm after. The Royal Crown," Darion spoke as though nothing had happened.

Seifer glared over his shoulder. "Didn't you say you've got enough gold?"

"It's not the gold I'm interested in; it's the items effect. It's said to improve the magic properties of the user. I see from your expression you've heard of it?"

"Sure, in old wives tales. Out in the Centra Ruins, if you kill enough tonberry's the king's meant to appear. I thought you were a business man, not some dreamer to be taken in by myths."

"It may be so, but I didn't get where I am by ignoring prospects because they might not pan out. I'm in the magic business. Something that could raise the magical properties of what I sell could be invaluable," he said. "I've nothing to lose by trying."

"And you think we're gonna waste our time on some wild goose chase?"

"It'll be worth your while, even if you're right about the crown. Bring me back a knife from every tonberry you terminate, to prove you tried. For every tonberry's knife you bring back, I'll give you five hundred gil. And fifty thousand for the crown itself."

Seifer paused. A few dead tonberry's, and they'd have earned more than they had in the past month. But it wasn't just that. His heart was racing. He was tired of tedious smith work and pathetic missions. He didn't like Webster, but the night had been exciting, and he didn't want to return to the dull drudgery of his recent life just yet. It had been too long since he'd enjoyed the heat of a real battle.

_Since Ultimecia's death, _a voice chimed at the back of his mind.

"How are we supposed to get to Centra? Have you got a gold plated private jet on the roof? A teleportor in the basement?"

Darion smiled, and there was a victorious gleam to his eye. "It's not plated in gold, but you'll drive to my air base, stay there over night and go by jet in the morning."

"Fine. We'll do it."

"Excellent," Darion stood and stretched a hand to Seifer, who crossed his arms and glared at it until he dropped it. He nodded to Raijin and Fujin, who filtered out along with the other soldiers, but he remained facing Webster.

"More questions?"

"You have no interest in Fuijin and Raijin," he stated as the door shut.

"They are talented…"

"Don't give me that. You came for me, and me alone. You waited for them to leave. Why?"

"You're right. I've no interest in your friends," Darion admitted, eyes sparkling with some hidden glee. "Though it would seem the three of you come as a package."

"Damn straight. I don't know why yet, but I know it's my help you need. If you or your minions attempt to harm them, I'll…"

"You'll give me a closer introduction to Hyperion, correct?"

"Right," Seifer said, suppressing a smirk.

_Wrong,_ he thought. _Hyperion's in Balamb Garden right now. You don't know as much as you think.._

As he joined the others and left the mansion, something niggled at him. _The way he said he had no interest in Fu and Rai… there was something in the way he said it… like someone else does. But who would want them? And why?_

* * *

As the van hit another bump, Seifer reflected that they weren't getting first class treatment anymore. He liked going to new places, but hated the travelling part. With the van jouncing them around like fish in a barrel, he couldn't even nap en route.

"CENTRA," Fujin said suddenly. "RINGS BELL."

Raijin frowned. "It don't mean nothing to me, y' know."

They fell into silence for several minutes before Fujin declared. "ODIN."

"Oh!" Seifer clicked his fingers. "It's meant to be where that guy came from, if the legends are true."

Raijin scratched his head in confusion.

"BEATEN."

Seifer laughed. "Yeah, he definitely doesn't dwell there anymore. I whooped his arse."

Raijin jumped up. "Oh yeah! At the Lunatic Pandora! Wish I'd seen that, y' know."

_You would have, if you hadn't left,_ Seifer thought. Logically, he knew they'd been right to leave, but he couldn't quite shake off the worm of bitterness he held over the abandonment.

"So, what's it matter?" He said grouchily.

Fujin paused. "DOESN'T," she said finally.

The trio fell silent again, heads down as the van continued to rock, seeming to jolt with over pebble. It made Seifer queasy, and he scowled at himself. _This is ridiculous. We're wasting our time on a GF that doesn't even exist. Who cares how much money we can make off the tonberry's? It won't make me any stronger._

"We changed our names when we were, like, thirteen," Raijin offered suddenly, apparently mistaking the cause of Seifer's mood. "It was just before we met you. It was Fujin's idea, to keep her Pa from finding us after she ran away. It seemed right, y' know?"

"IRRELEVANT."

"Yeah, never seemed worth mentioning, y' know? We left our old selves behind. You know our real names, Seifer, coz this is who we are, y' know."

"Huh." Seifer replied, gritting his teeth over another bump. "So you've had three names each now, eh? That's gotta be a record."

"MAD?"

The truth was. He'd figured as much; he had seen the names Raijin and Fujin in the same mythology where he'd found the name for his original gunblade. The relationship between the names had made it seem some kind of fate that they'd met. As a possibility, it had been easy to accept that they hid their identities from him; over the years he had never given it much thought, and when he did he had idly found dozens of viable excuses. Yet confronting it as truth stung, especially when it came from a stranger. There was a spark of disappointment, and even resentment, as he realized that he did not know his friends as well as had thought.

_Just like I thought they'd never leave,_ he thought grimly, mouth a thin line.

Fujin read his face. "NO SECRETS?" she asked, gesturing to him.

The spark was dulled as he realized all they did not know of his childhood, coupled with the fact that he wanted it to stay that way.

"Yeah, I get it, I have some secrets, too."He shrugged broadly. "We're a posse in the present. The past is just a backdrop. I don't care about that, I only need to know who you guys are now. That's how we work, right?"

Raijin wiped his brow and seemed to let out a breath. "Yeah."

But he couldn't help but wonder exactly how much they hid from him.

* * *

Another tonberry fell at Seifer's feet. He knelt, muscles straining, and threw the chef's knife to clatter on top of the pile.

"What kind of king lets his minions fall without showing his face to rescue them, eh?" he taunted, wiping sweat from his face- then scowled as he realized he was taunting something he didn't even believe in. It was as good as threatening the Easter Bunny.

Another knife clanked onto the pile as Raijin approached, with Fujin in tow. "Did you see that, Seifer? I totally nailed that little guy!"

"Woohoo," Seifer grumbled.

The tonberry's were deceptively tough little blighters, but they weren't formidable in the least. _If Webster really wanted to test my skills, he could've put me up against Cerberus, or a Tiamat, or at least something that stands more than a few feet tall,_ Seifer thought.

"Even if the big guy doesn't show, we've already made enough with this lot, y' know."

"Well, at least that round of drinks you owe us may not be so hard to cover with your share, Raijin," Seifer said.

"BEER," Fujin requested.

"Whoa, hang on, y' know," Raijin stuttered.

"I'd say it's about time we made a move," Seifer sheathed his blade and stretched his arms. "We can make a crown out of cardboard and gold paint, and he'll probably still pay for it anyway."

Raijin sighed in defeat; then looked up. "Hey, at four o'clock, y' know," at the same moment Fujin called "NINE."

They weren't talking drinking times. Two tonberrys were approaching them at the usual snails pace, which had become steadily more tedious over the past few hours.

"Let's make it one for the road," he said. "You guys take that one."

"TOGETHER," Fujin said.

"That will just take longer," Seifer called back, already running.

Seifer startled the little creature with a fire attack, and slashed it with his gunblade. He pulled the trigger on the finishing blow, and it fell to the ground. He looked over as Raijin killed the other tonberry; Fujin beside him; but they didn't see the king approaching behind them. Seifer dashed in and blocked its mighty knife as it aimed for Raijin's back, even whilst baffled that it really existed after all.

He jumped back into formation with his posse. "About time, guys! Let's give this king of the plushies its marching orders!"

The Tonberry King loomed over them, almost twice their height. Its shining crown hovered above its head, a contrast to the ragged brown clothes it wore, just like its minions. Its green figure was rounded, like a play-doe monster come to life. The sun glinted on the foot long knife it grasped in its right paw. Even Seifer had to admit it may have been intimidating, were it not for its comic physique.

"You're the king? You look more like a fat servant who's been at the jewellery draw!" he sneered, doubting the lumbering creature understood a word; until its bright eyes gleamed with malice and it thrust its knife at him.

"SAN." Fujin threw her blade like a bowling ball. It flashed through the air and the beast stumbled away from the blow.

Seifer dashed forward, his beat-up gunblade raised, finger poised on the trigger. There was a delay between pulling the trigger and the blast, which varied with the model and upgrades. That was the key to using the weapon, why so few could master it. But on this one, there was a sporadic three to four second delay between trigger and blast due to the wear and tear, making a clean hit was more-or-less a lucky dip.

_Trigger… Four… Three… Two…_

The shot exploded down the hilt just prior to the hit. The weapon recoiled from the shot before it landed solidly, and it landed with only half the force and accuracy he had attempted. He leapt back, teeth gritted in anger at his weapons incompetence. He hated looking like a fool.

Even so, the tonberry king stumbled, the fabric over its vast stomach smoking. Before it got it's footing, Raijin rushed in, spinning the heavy fighting pole above his head as though it were merely a child's baton. "Metsu!" Raijin yelled as he hit the tonberry's head, before targeting the spot Seifer had hit.

The tonberry countered with a stab, which glanced off his protect magic with a melodic zing.

"Prepare yourself for defeat," Raijin yelled. Thunder magic blazed through his pole and he hit it with several quick attacks.

The tonberry king rocked on the balls of its feet then fell backwards in puffs of yellow smoke. The crown fell to the ground with a clank and rolled in a circle before settling, stirring up dust. The smoke disappeared to reveal an average, if not a little short, tonberry standing before them.

Seifer crossed his arms and snickered. "So, you're just another little guy without the crown, huh?"

The tonberry looked up at them in shock, as though they had grown rather than he shrunk. His head was to the ground as he squeaked, "I… I'm sorry."

"Some GF," Seifer grumbled. It was even more useless than the average GF. He never saw the point in using something you could beat to fight for you; he had proven that when he defeated Odin. The only GF Seifer kept junctioned was Ifrit to enable his magic, and it was a nice reminder that he had the best recorded time at the fire cavern preliminary to the SeeD exam. Better than Squall, even. Briefly, he wondered if his scores were still registered.

"Since you beat him you can junction him, Rai. Though I only let you because you need the experience more!"

"Sure," he said, rubbing his arm. "Ow, ow, ow!"

"WIMP." Fujin threw a potion at him.

"Couldn't you just pass it to me, y' know?"

"IDIOT," Fujin said, and kicked him.

Raijin paused, then screamed "OW!" theatrically loud.

Fujin's eyes narrowed, and she ripped at his trouser hem, to find a shin guard.

"Just… in case, the monsters… umm…"

Fujin ripped it off and kicked him, twice.

Seifer smiled, feeling better despite himself. He picked up the crown and surveyed it critically. It was a banged up piece of junk, but he could feel the thrum of magical energy in it.

"This'll earn me a pretty penny or two," he said. "And an upgrade." He sheathed the sword, remembering the fire design his blacksmith friend Todd had shown him back in Balamb, all those months ago. Finally, he could afford it.

_No, I can do even better than that now._ He thought with a smirk.

He looked around at the heap of knives, some glittering at scattered intervals where they had dropped them in the lieu of a fresh attack.

"Now, how the hell are we going to haul this lot out?"

"GAURDS?"

"Those Galbadian's were too scared to even come in with us, y' know," Raijin protested.

"They'll be more scared of us when they see we got this," Seifer said, throwing the crown in the air and catching it.

They walked through the entry archway, dust billowing around their feet.

"You… you are no knight…" The voice was gravely, but barely audible.

Seifer jolted and looked around wildly, unsheathing his blade. Raijin and Fujin adopted defensive stances instantly.

"WHAT?"

"What do you mean, what?"

Raijin looked around uncertainly and scratched his head. "I don't see anything."

Seifer scowled and lowered his blade. _Am I hearing things or what? Is this Ellone? No, I'm still awake…_

He stormed forward, Raijin and Fujin exchanging a glance before following.

"Beware, false knight, for no-one marks me and lives."

He spun around. Was that a flash of red atop the archway? He shook his head, scowled, and stalked out, the others following wordlessly.

_Those soldiers might've been right to wanna stay clear of this place, _he thought.

* * *

They arrived back at Darion's mansion late that night. Seifer's mood had steadily darkened, and the others hadn't spoken the whole way back. When Seifer walked into the mansion, running his fingers through his hair in agitation, Fujin pulled Raijin back with a hand on his arm.

Raijin looked askance at her, but her gaze was to the floor, brows creased as she concentrated. Raijin knew better than to interrupt, especially now that she'd disposed of his shin guards. She seemed to be struggling with something.

She put a hand to her heart, and looked him in the eye, her own fiery with fervour. "GOING."

"Huh? Going where? We just got here, y' know."

"PLANNED."

Raijin frowned. He had a close enough bond with Fujin that it rarely took long for him to understand what she meant, how ever cryptic her words may seem. What he never got used to was her ability to surprise him; and this was no exception.

"No way! We can't do that now!" Raijin said. "Seifer's in a bad place right now. He needs our help…"

"EXACTLY. OUT."

Raijin shrugged. "Why do we need to get out of this? Seifer knows what he's doing, y' know. But he needs us here to back him up."

Fujin pointed at him. "STAY. PROTECT."

"What am I supposed to tell him?"

Fujin shrugged. "FISHING?"

Raijin blinked, then guffawed. Another thing she always caught him off guard with was her sense of humour. Contrary to popular opinion, she did have one.

"I'll make something up, y' know," Raijin said. "But how y' gonna get there?"

Fujin looked around, her eyes strayed to the military jeep. "BORROW."

"That's stealing, Fu…"

"WHATEVER." She smiled and turned away.

"Wait!" Raijin called, reaching after her. "You gonna be alright by yourself, y' know?"

She gave a stiff wave, and Raijin let his hand drop. It occurred to him that they'd never been separated in all the years since they ran away together.

_Besides, I'm her mouthpiece. How can she talk to him without me? This is dangerous. If anyone goes, it should be me, _he thought. _None of us should be going anywhere. We should be sticking together… I have a bad feeling about this._

But Seifer and Fujin were the ones to make decisions, not him. He was powerless. He walked into the mansion, as ordered.

* * *

Dust flared from the ground as the heavy black boots stirred it up. He looked down, pushed his thick brown hair out of his face, and realized there was a crumpled flier trapped under his boot. The paper flapped open in the wind, and with a mild frown he knelt and wrenched it free. It was the logo that had caught his eye; a blade and pole crossed, captured in a spike-rimmed circle, but the words beneath secured his interest and he read on.

_Young Revolutionaries_

Tired of relying on Garden for your mercenary needs? Want someone tougher to deal with those problems in life that requires a blade or two? Fear not, because an exciting, modern new group is here with a range of skills and abilities. The young revolutionaries! Get in touch and tell us what you need. We rate on a case by case basis, though rest assured that our military trained staff will beat Garden prices every time!

He shook his head, lips curved in the ghost of a small smile. He shoved the flier into the pocket of his short midriff jacket. His gloved fingers travelled to his gunblade's handle as he strolled away.

* * *

**A/N **Sorry it's been so long! I've had a bit of a crisis of faith, which has kept me from writing, but I'm getting it back. Anyway, every time I say the next chapter will be soon it seems to end up taking ages, so this time I'll say it will take ages, in the hopes that it'll end up being ready sooner!

**Next Time **Seifer finds out why Darion needs him; is it an offer he can't refuse? Meanwhile, Fujin makes her own plans for the posse's future.


End file.
